Missing Moments
by CanadianPunk1
Summary: A series of scenes that should have been from the live action show.
1. Chapter 1

Author's note: Hello all, this is the missing scenes story I mentioned in my last chapter of 'These Things'. I'm working on both simultaneously, but the other is giving me some issues so I decided to entertain my muse with this effort. It is much easier to write these snippets because I'm working off of what was already in the show.

With that being said, I have included some dialogue from the show where a spoken scene of my creation fits in with a scene from the show. As for the concept behind this series it is simply a suggestion at conversations, events or thoughts that could have been and that those of us in the fandom wish had been. I will be tackling each act that has some good Rei/Minako potential one by one. So essentially each chapter will represent an act from the show.

**Act 18**

**Scene 1**

The walk back to the shrine was long. Rei could see the people she passed huddle further into their jackets as the night time breeze became increasingly colder. But she did not feel the cold the same way that those she passed did. She was still too shaken to pay much attention to anything other than her thoughts. Surprise was not a good enough word to describe her feeling when Aino Minako was revealed to be Sailor Venus. It was closer to feeling flabbergasted with a side of amazement that rendered her totally speechless.

Rei had supposed she found the girl pleasant enough when they were just talking while watching over the dog. To be honest, she felt like she almost liked the girl. She always thought that there was some unwritten rule that idols were untouchable, empty and so distant from the world around them that they sometimes became people that are no longer just normal. But Minako had seemed completely normal, just as sad and innocent as the rest of the world. And of course she was wearing that ridiculous hat, which could only be described as completely useless, yet thoroughly endearing.

Her musings continued for her entire journey until she stopped in her tracks when she realised that she was standing just outside the door of the shrine. She couldn't even remember walking up the steps. Apparently an Aino Minako shaped distraction could become very dangerous. Heading inside she went straight to her room where she rather unceremoniously flopped down on the floor and stretched out on her back.

"Aino Minako is sailor Venus."

Saying the words almost made it sound more incredulous. It wouldn't be smart to tell the others, not yet at least. Rei could safely assume that Usagi would throw a fit that could only be rivalled by a chicken that had just lost it's head and she really didn't want to see that ever if it could be avoided.

Deciding on keeping her knowledge secret was easy. It was locked firmly in the category of a no brainer. What to do about Venus though was a totally different matter all together. And one that could possibly result in more trouble than dealing with an overly excited Usagi, but that chicken comparison was awfully disturbing. So maybe not more trouble, but just a different kind of equal trouble.

Rei shuddered at the thought of headless chicken Usagis and quickly abandoned that train of thought for another, decidedly angrier train. She couldn't believe what Venus had said to her. It was hard to imagine that such harsh words could come from Minako, she had just seemed too nice to be that cruel. Maybe she was bipolar. Wasn't it another unwritten rule that all idol's had to have some kind of mental condition?

But still Rei was bothered by what she had said. She had always thought she was a good fighter. Always careful to make the right decision in a timely fashion. And wasn't it supposed to be her job to protect the princess, as much of a pain as she was quickly becoming.

Rei rolled over onto her stomach and let out an exasperated sigh. She hated thinking about these things. Emotions made her stomach feel like it was unpleasantly full of acid. She would much rather just not have to give this any care or consideration. But Venus is her princess, and she has to protect her. Even if that does require babysitting.

* * *

**Scene 2**

She knew she shouldn't have revealed her identity to Mars. Artemis warned her everyday. There were certain mistakes that she absolutely could not afford to make, and her weakness had led her right into one. What else was she supposed to do? She couldn't allow any harm to come to Mars. It was too important to the mission to keep Mars in the fight. It was too important to her.

Minako watched the buildings pass by as her car headed back to the hotel. Her vision was still blurry but the fog had cleared from her mind. It was getting worse and there would be no point in denying it any longer. Lifting one hand to message her temple she absentmindedly let the other scratch behind Artemis' ears. She had disappointed her guardian today. She would have to make it up to him. If only he was the only one she had upset today.

Thinking about Mars gave her a headache. What was true in the past is true in the present. Maybe she had gone too far this time. It wasn't the escaped youma that she found upsetting. It was what Mars had done that had perturbed her. Mars had stayed behind to protect her.

Even if Mars thought she was protecting her princess, for Minako it felt like how it used to feel. She knew that was why she revealed her identity, using entirely selfish motivational logic. She wanted to feel that once again. And she only has a few months left. Not very much time to work with. Artemis kept saying that Mars would never remember in time, if ever. Why risk bringing about the potential for heart ache. It wouldn't be fair to Mars or herself.

The car pulled up in front of the hotel and Minako stepped out onto the rain soaked sidewalk. Cradling Artemis in her arms she looked up briefly and caught sight of a tiny point of red light shimmering in the sky. Closing her eyes she made a wish.

* * *

**Scene 3**

"I would if I could trust you to take care of the youma." She did it again. Throwing barbs at Mars was starting to become an involuntary action that she was sure would only end in a mess. And so in an effort to avoid calamity she turned to leave.

"Hey hold on a second." Maybe if she just kept walking she could get away. Or at least she could have until Mars latched on to her wrist. "Do you have to run off right away?"

It was a strange question to ask. Not because the meaning behind it was obscure, but the combination of facial expression, tone of voice and subject matter effectively turned it into a loaded gun.

"I don't have anywhere I have to be if that's what you're asking." Minako smirked. She was going to make Mars work for it. Just like everything else. If Mars wanted something from her she wouldn't be able to beat around the bush.

This tactic was clearly agitating the other girl as she crossed her arms, lowered them to her sides, shifted her weight and looked in every direction but towards Minako.

"What I meant was." Just spit it out. "If you have time maybe you're hungry?"

"Well I do have the time to be hungry. Manager-san doesn't keep me that busy." Minako missed this. She didn't even want to remind herself that it would probably never be the same as it was. But all she has is six months left to live and she just wants to drive this girl crazy. And from the looks of things, it was going very well.

"Why is this so difficult?" Rei muttered it under her breath, not accounting for super sensitive idol hearing.

"I'm sorry what was that?"

There was an interesting bird in the tree behind Minako to the left. "Why are you making this so difficult?"

"Think of it as training."

"Training for what?"

As much as Minako was enjoying this she was getting very hungry and she didn't have much hope in Mars catching on to this game any time soon. Motioning for the other girl to follow her she headed towards the waiting car.

"Come on and get in, I'll explain it on the way." Rei followed. Slightly annoyed by how automatic her actions seemed. "How do you feel about ramen?"

* * *

**Scene 4**

"Minako." Here it comes. It was like clockwork. "Aren't you spending a lot of time with Sailor Mars?"

"I'm not befriending her. It's quite the opposite actually." Artemis didn't wait long after her return from being with Mars to begin his interrogation.

"You sure are stubborn sometimes. We've talked about this before Minako." Artemis was worried, and with what he thought was a very good reason. In the past life Venus' relationship with Mars had always been so taxing. As much as she professed to loving it, the toll it took on her spirits was obvious.

"I know, but can't you at least allow me this much?" Minako continued her work on the poster in front of her. She was sure it would be much better than Mars'. How would she be able to continue calling herself an idol if it wasn't? "And besides, it might be beneficial to awakening her powers."

Artemis had to concede her that point. The best way to crack a tough nut is to hit it with an even harder nut. "I just don't want to see either of you get hurt."

"I'm being careful Artemis." That wasn't a out-and-out lie. She was being careful. Sometimes she acted as though she absolutely detested the other girl. She would just pretend that that wasn't how they used to flirt in the past.

"Just don't push too hard. If it happens it happens. This incarnation of Mars is much different than the one you remember." It wasn't a full-blown lie. This Mars was shorter and she wore her hair differently. It was only every aspect of her personality that was similar.

Minako smiled at the stuffed cat, they were both to polite to admit that they knew exactly what the other was thinking. "Okay Artemis, don't worry so much or you'll give yourself an ulcer." Her brush paused in mid-stroke as she was struck with a thought. "Hey, can you get ulcers in that form?"

"Minako."

"I'm just kidding." Maybe a little bit. "Anyway, why did the youma attack the priest?"

* * *

**Scene 5**

It really was like she was dealing with multiple people when she was with Minako. The girl was driving her crazy. Rei had considered talking to Ami several times tonight about inventing some kind of personality predicting device. Maybe Luna had one squirreled away somewhere?

As many times as the idol did or said something completely adorable, she would turn around and do something utterly frustrating. Rei was sure that Minako was doing it on purpose. If it weren't for her duty to protect her princess she would have no qualms about dropping the girl off the tallest building she could find.

This whole situation was making her stomach do hand stands, and other assorted gymnastics manoeuvres. It was a very distasteful experience. As Rei continued working on her posters for tomorrow she briefly considered telling the others about Venus' true identity. Maybe it would take some of the pressure from her shoulders. Rei could feel her skin prickling at the thought of Usagi's reaction. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea.

Rei continued working on her posters late into the night. Visions of headless chicken Usagis dancing in her head.

* * *

**Scene 6**

She had told her not to bother coming if she wasn't going to make any effort to stick with the team. It was a nuisance. Rei kicked at the ground as she walked back to the shrine. It seemed that Minako's skill at getting under her skin grew with every passing moment.

Between the popping in and out whenever she pleased to behaving in a curious manner that threw her identity as the princess in to question, Rei was beginning to find the girl absolutely intolerable. Now if she could only get rid of the nagging feeling in the back of her mind that she couldn't let Minako out of her sight, then everything would be okay.

Lost in her thoughts, Rei was rudely brought back to reality when her face met the cold concrete of the shrine steps. Thinking about Minako truly was detrimental to her health.

* * *

**Scene 7**

"About half a year left?" Minako hung her head and looked at Artemis forlornly. Even if Mars did awaken and reclaim her memories of the past life, six months was not enough time. And she couldn't truly reconcile the possibility of Mars remembering just to have to watch her die again.

"Minako."

"Hmm?" She turned away from the plush cat and walked to the window. "I promise I won't get too attached. I just want to help awaken her powers. For the mission."

Artemis pawed over to his ward. "You know, there is another option."

Minako sought out the red point of light once more, her heart barely registered the words Artemis had said, but her head provided the usual response.

"You know that's not really an option." The sky was partially cloudy. The red star was hidden from her tonight.


	2. Chapter 2

**Acts 19 & 20**

**Scene 1**

Rei moved back as an errant flame shot out from the fire. It was never a good idea for her to meditate while entertaining angry thoughts. She had lost many hairs by making that mistake.

It didn't seem like the fire would be offering up much help in her Minako situation tonight. Rei couldn't figure the strange girl out at all. She might as well be walking around with a sign that said 'I am the Princess of the Moon Kingdom come and get me.'

She was sure that the media would just excuse it as customary idol behaviour, and it surely would attract the attention of their enemies very efficiently. So as far as Rei could see it was a win win for Minako.

It was the reason for this behaviour that was beyond her understanding and that is what had driven her to sit in front of the fire tonight. There was one thing that she knew for certain though, and that was that she would not be letting the idol out of her sight for a second, even if that was the kind of conduct that could bring about restraining orders.

Rei looked over at the clock hanging low on the wall opposite the fire. She hadn't realised that it had gotten so late. She was already losing sleep over this, a couple more days and it could be classified as clinical insomnia. Rei decided that she would just have to talk to Luna about it tomorrow.

Getting ready for bed she attempted to banish all conscious thoughts of Minako from her mind, all too aware that she couldn't control what her unconscious brain did. But at least she was making an effort at staying sane.

* * *

**Scene 2**

"Minako… Please." Artemis shook his head at his mischievous ward affectionately.

Minako laughed at the plush cat. "This one is safe I promise." Artemis eyed the box suspiciously but attempted to open it nonetheless. He was extremely relived when nothing shot out at him, made a loud screeching noise or spontaneously burst into flames.

Minako had owed Artemis for all the stress she had been causing him with the Sailor Mars situation, but she still couldn't resist playing a little prank. She did by him the extra fancy chocolates after all.

She looked once more at her homepage layout and smiled in satisfaction. She was sure that this would be more than enough to lead the Dark Kingdom to her. She also knew it would be enough to lead her new found stalker there as well. But she wouldn't tell Artemis that.

Minako fully expected to see Mars tomorrow. If she knew Mars at all she could guess that right now she was probably mulling over everything and losing a considerable amount of sleep over it. She also knew that Mars would be too stubborn to just respect her wishes and stay away and that the girl would begin searching her out as soon as tomorrow allowed her.

It would make things much easier if she just went ahead and invited Mars to join her. But this wasn't about making things easy. Nothing about this was easy.

Fire shot through her eyes and she braced herself against the desk as her knees threatened to give out.

"Minako!"

As quickly as the pain came it disappeared again. "I'm okay. But I think I should call it a night. We have a big day tomorrow." She felt sorry for Artemis, this couldn't be very easy on him. She would give anything to have the arms she remembered wrap around her right now.

But that was a thought she wasn't allowed to have. It is truly unfortunate that she has never been one to follow the rules too closely.

* * *

**Scene 3**

"Minako, are you okay?" She barely managed to get out a nod. The fight with Nephrite had been bad enough but adding the emotional turmoil that always existed around seeing Mars was too much to bare.

"I knew she would come." Mars was too predictable, just like in the past life. It was easy to put herself in situations that would bring the other girl out.

Artemis followed behind his charge as she made her way to a waiting car. "I don't understand why you keep creating situations to run into Mars when it causes you so much pain."

She was doing it on purpose. She knew that in the end she would always come out worse for wear. That's what happens when you want something so badly and all you're allowed is a glimpse at it from a distance. It hurts everywhere, and it is very similar to what Minako thought hitting herself with a sledgehammer would feel like. So why didn't she want to stop?

"I can't help feeling how I feel Artemis. You know that." She felt like she was leading a double life. Part of Minako was grateful to have Mars chase after her, even if Mars had no idea why she was chasing. The other part of her had to be angry at the fire Senshi so she could successfully put up a wall between the two of them. It was what she and Artemis had agreed upon. Her feelings had to come second to the mission. If only Artemis could understand how strong her feelings were.

Minako picked up the stuffed cat and ducked into the car. "This isn't easy."

Artemis put a gentle paw on Minako's arm. "I don't think it's going to get any easier either."

* * *

**Scene 4**

Rei was starting to sense a trend. This was the third night that she had walked home alone after an encounter with Minako. On the plus side she was getting better at paying attention to where she was going and didn't anticipate anymore unpleasant meetings with the concrete.

She was frustrated with the other girl once again. She couldn't understand why it was so important for the princess to fight alone. It only seemed logical that it would be safer in a group. Nothing that girl did made any sense at all.

Rei sat down on one of the benches outside of the shrine. She was still too worked up to go inside and concluded that it might be beneficial to her sleeping pattern if she took the extra time outside to calm her thoughts.

Sharing the princess' identity with the others was out of the question. But it was clear that she was just as visible to the enemy as Minako as she was as Venus. This wasn't going to be easy. And she had a feeling Minako wanted it that way.

But if the princess wanted to fight alone, then it only seemed to make sense that she would have to as well. Rei knew that she was the only one who could fully protect the princess. She could tell the others, but maybe it would be simpler if they didn't get involved because of all the Aino Minako hype.

Rei stood up from the bench and let out a self satisfied sigh. It was settled. She would have to sharpen her stalking skills to do it. And if Minako wanted to fight alone she would just have to live with having a shadow.

* * *

**Scene 5**

"Just Mars. If I can awaken just her." Everything would be perfect.

"There's that, but just don't force things." Maybe not so perfect. Artemis could always be counted on to bring her back to reality.

She had so much pressure to deal with right now. She needed Mars by her side. There was so much that Mars could do for her that no one else came close to touching. She knew she was being selfish. But she has found herself caring less as her time becomes shorter.

"I'm not so sure I could force things even if I tried." This version of Mars was decidedly slow. She was far too methodical. It made her even more predictable, but it was beginning to become an irritation.

"I know how much you want your Mars back Minako, but don't you think it might be time to give up on the fantasies?"

Minako smirked. "I'm a teenage girl living with the memory of an epic love." Underneath the cloth on her forehead she raised her eyebrow at Artemis. "Do you really think I'll be able to give up on the fantasies?"

They both knew she never would. So instead of arguing the point further Artemis looked over Minako once more and then left her to rest.


	3. Chapter 3

**Act 23**

**Scene 1**

Rei was furious. If furious was even a good enough word to describe it. She took notice of the wide berth people gave her as she headed towards Crown and decided that furious was probably not a good enough word.

It wasn't that she couldn't sing. She did in fact have quite a good voice. The problem was that she didn't take too kindly to being forced into certain situations. She couldn't understand the nerve of that silly idol. Princess or not she didn't have the right to inflict a double life on anyone. And just where did she cook that ridiculous name up anyways?

"Mars Reiko." Rei puffed at her bangs in disgust. "What kind of name is that?"

It was then, standing just outside of Crown that something hit her. It was like saying the name ignited a small spark inside of Rei. But just as quickly as it came to life it was snuffed out. It was just a name, but it felt familiar and Rei couldn't completely quell the feeling it left inside her. A fact that she found all the more infuriating.

"It's just like her to think of the perfect way to push me one step closer to complete insanity."

Heading down into their secret room, Rei couldn't help but notice the involuntary twitch in her eye every time she thought of her newly acquired moniker. Rei slammed a stack of magazines down onto the table in front of her. She was not going to let a juvenile nickname or challenge from Minako defeat her.

"I'm doing this!"

**Scene 2**

"Minako where are you going?" Artemis jumped down from the hospital bed and stepped in front of his charge.

"I want to peek in on Mars." She didn't chance looking at Artemis, she knew exactly which of his 'I'm very disappointed in you' looks he'd be wearing right now. "I just want to make sure my little project will go off without any hitches."

"Minako." Artemis wasn't planning on buying that excuse for a second. "You're supposed to be resting."

This time Minako looked down at her plush guardian and gave him a small smile. "Well I feel fine. And I'll only be gone for a second."

"What if someone finds out that you've disappeared?"

"Who's going to find out? No one is allowed into my room." Her small smile now turned into a full mischievous grin. "And I'm not really worried about you telling any of the nurses. Just think of the mass hysteria a talking plush cat would cause. A missing idol would be page 15 news compared to that."

Well he couldn't very well argue with that point. Since stopping her from going was out of the question, he might as well attempt to compromise with her.

"Okay, you can go. But just please be back quickly."

Reaching down, Minako scratched lightly behind his ears. "I promise I will. Now stop worrying so much or you might get that ulcer we talked about before."

Before Artemis could respond, Minako was out the door and carefully making her way down the hall. She had been clever enough to grab an over-sized hat before leaving her room and she adjusted the brim so it hung low on her head, just enough to obscure her face. If someone wanted to see who she was they would have to get close enough to count her nose hairs.

The idol made her way through the hospital with practiced ease. She had spent so much time in this building she was sure she could make her way to the children's ward with her eyes closed.

Coming to the last corner she would have to turn, she slowed her pace and went into stealth mode to peek around the wall without risking being seen. There was no power on earth that could suppress the giggle that escaped her lips when she caught sight of Mars. The poor girl looked like she was going to explode and crumpled into a quivering heap of fear all at the same time.

But she had come. Minako didn't think that would happen. She didn't want to open her heart to the possibility of anything more than she should, but maybe there was a little bit more of her Mars in this girl than was previously indicated.

Minako knew the show would be starting soon and she wished she could stay, but she really didn't want to make Artemis worry anymore than she had too. She would make a point to seek Mars out after this. After all, if she couldn't witness the performance for herself then the next best thing would be to pester the short-tempered girl about it. That always was one of her favorite pass times. Sneeking one last peek at Mars, Minako turned away and headed back to her room.

**Scene 3**

"See you tomorrow Rei-chan!" Rei waved to Usagi as the girl backed away from her at a brisk jog, a form of transportation that she thought looked particularly perilous. A belief that proved to be correct when Usagi tumbled backwards over a bench.

Rei cringed at the sight, but shook her head when Usagi bounced up and, looking down crossly at the offending bench, brushed herself off and continued on her way, this time facing forwards after waving one last time.

Smiling once more at the image of her retreating friend, Rei began preparing herself for another unaccompanied walk back to the shrine. So it was with no small amount of shock that she took notice of a familiar figure making it's way towards her.

"Hello Mars Reiko-san." Twitch.

"I don't like that name." The miko stopped short in front of the idol and crossed her arms in front of her chest, looking as menacing as possible. She was dismayed when the other girl seemed to take no notice of her annoyance and took a step closer into her personal space.

"Well I do." Minako pulled Rei forward so that they were walking together. "And seeing as how I am your princess I think it would be wise for you to allow me my indulgences."

Rei huffed seeing that there was no way she could win this battle. She walked along beside the other girl for a time in silence. She was taken aback by the other girls unexpected company and she was still very annoyed at the stunt Minako had pulled, even though it had helped her to awaken her powers.

"Did you do it on purpose?"

Minako knew that Rei knew the answer was yes. But she liked to play these games. "Did I do what on purpose?"

"Make me perform."

"I didn't make you perform. I merely set up the time and place." Minako looked out the corner of her eye to see an aggravated expression on Rei's face. "You were the one who showed up and went through with it."

Throwing her hands up in the air, Rei turned to face Minako. "Well what else was I supposed to do? I didn't want to upset you!" She was quite sure she hadn't meant to say that last part.

Minako averted her gaze. This is exactly where she wanted the conversation to go, but her promise to herself and to Artemis reined in her emotions. She would have to give Rei an out this time. Even if it broke her heart a little bit more to do it.

"Right, because I'm the princess."

"Right."

The two girls returned to walking in silence once more. But this time the air between them was noticeable thicker. Rei attempted to break the ice several times, but the best attempt she had come up with was interrupted by the blaring of a car horn.

Minako, however, was enjoying the bubble of awkwardness that had surrounded them. She found it utterly adorable watching Rei knit her brows in thought and then slightly turn her head in an effort to start conversation, only to give up and violently shove her hands in her pockets while returning to stare directly in front of her.

They continued this way for a few more minutes until Minako finally gave in to her desire to talk to the other girl. She knew that in a way she was conceding victory to the stoic miko, but this time she didn't so much mind losing.

"So how did your performance go anyways?"

"Huh?" Rei returned to reality from her thoughts and focused her attention on the now smiling idol. "Oh, I guess it went okay."

"So nobody ran away screaming?" The sarcastic remark was accompanied by a playful elbow jab to the ribs. Rei wasn't sure which brought the blush to her cheeks first.

She returned the elbow in kind. "No, no one ran away screaming. And I guess you were right about it helping."

Minako smiled even brighter. "That almost sounds like a thank you. I thought you said I wouldn't make a friend out of you by doing that?"

"I'm not ruling either possibility out at the moment." She was giving in. It was hopeless. But the strange girl still confused her far too much for her to rest on either outcome too firmly. "But I am leaning more towards one option than the other right now."

If it was possible to make a ten thousand watt smile even brighter, Minako was sure Rei was going to make it happen. "I don't suppose you'd be willing share with me which option you're finding the most favourable?"

"No." She said it firmly, and Rei was certain that she could hear the smile disappear from Minako's face. She didn't necessarily like that. "I think it would be wise for you to allow me my indulgences." She made sure to smile at the other girl when she said it and was extremely relieved when the smile that she received in return nearly blinded her.

Rei was beginning to pick up on the games that Minako would play whenever they were together. She decided that she might like returning the calculated torture in kind. She also decided that she might start liking having company on her walks back to the shrine from now on.

"So."

"So." Both girls blushed and turned the other way at their synchronised speech. Minako was certain that this would resemble the awkward beginnings of a relationship to the casual observer. But the steps to forging a relationship had never been easy for her and Mars. And so it was anyone's guess what this could really mean.

They had finally arrived at the steps of the shrine and Minako could feel their time together tonight coming to an end. She turned an expectant eye on Rei, coercing the other girl into continuing her previous attempt at communication.

"So?"

Rei looked uncomfortably at the ground. "So, I was just thinking that I liked having your company tonight."

"I'm told that I can be good company to have around."

"So maybe now instead of taking off after we fight together, you might stick around sometimes?" This time Rei looked right at Minako. She really wanted to understand this girl who was her princess. And she felt an undeniable desire to always be around this girl.

Everything that had the least bit to do with Minako was horrible and uncomfortable and it kept her up far too late at night, but for once she didn't want to just run anymore. And for that to happen, she needed Minako to stop running as well.

"I think that something like that could be arranged in the future." The smile Minako was rewarded with could have stopped her heart. And unfortunately for Rei, it gave her the confidence to let the prankster in her out for some fun. "But, you have to do something for me in return."

"And what might that be?"

"You." Minako took a step forward and jabbed her finger at Rei. "Have to promise me that you will perform with me at a concert one day."

The reaction from Rei was exactly what Minako had been expecting and she couldn't be happier to see the look of absolute horror and revulsion on the miko's face.

"You can't be serious."

"Oh I am very serious. So if you plan on seeing me on more occasions like this you better start stretching those vocal cords." Minako was walking away as she said this. She knew that Rei's expression had not changed in the slightest and she allowed herself a self-satisfied smirk. Rei would do anything she asked. Just like in the past.

As for Rei she remained motionless staring at the retreating form of the idol, a dopey grin slowly coming to her face.

"That girl is going to be the death of me." But if it meant seeing more of her, Rei was certain her slow and painful death would be the most enjoyable experience she could ever imagine.


	4. Interlude 1

Author's note: The idea for this story popped into my head at work and since nothing really exciting happened on the Rei/Minako front in acts 25&26 I decided to stick this little vignette in here.

**Interlude (Between acts 25 & 26)**

"Um, how about 'e'?"

"Nope. No 'e'"

Rei narrowed her gaze at the sheet of pink paper in front of her. She couldn't help but feel sympathy for the poor stick figure hanging from the gallows that was progressively taking form in front of her.

"Okay, what about an 'm'?"

Usagi bounced up and down in her seat as she shook her head and added another limb.

"Only one more guess Rei-chan." Usagi could barely contain her glee and Makoto hid her smile behind a magazine as she watched the irritation grow on the miko's face.

The word was only five letters long. Rei had assumed that it would be a piece of cake, and now she was ruing that thought and whole heartedly regretting ever accepting Usagi's offer to play hangman. Somewhere, deep down she had known it was a bad idea to come to Crown today. But she had, and this was going to be her punishment.

Rei looked back and forth between the sad looking stick figure and the bobbing head of her friend. She was playing a game with Usagi. A word game with Usagi. It only seemed logical that there would be a very limited number of words that Usagi would be able to bring to the table. Rei was simply over thinking it. Which wasn't a very difficult thing to do considering her opponent.

"Wait a second." Looking once more at the sheet, and taking into account the fact that she had guessed the letters 'a' and 'g', a light bulb suddenly turned on in her brain. "Usagi. Is the word 'Usagi'"

Usagi's bouncing about suddenly became violent and Rei had to recoil when her overly energetic friend bounded over to congratulate her.

"Ah! Rei-chan!! You're so smart." Just as Rei was beginning to feel her life start to squeeze from her body, Usagi broke away from her death hug and ran up to the stage to begin an impromptu and most unwelcome singing of Rei's praises.

"I was sure you would have been able to solve it much faster than that." This time Makoto didn't bother to hide behind her magazine and let Rei see her mocking grin for all it was worth. "I mean, it's Usagi." The only response Makoto would receive was a strong slug to the arm and a chilling glare before Rei's Teletia-S came to life in her pocket.

Flipping it open with a flick of her wrist, Rei was not surprised to see the name Aino Minako above a text message envelope.

"_Where are you? Call me."_

A grin was threatening to break out on her face and she had to cough awkwardly to stifle the unwanted reaction. Unfortunately the cough came out a little too forced and Rei was assaulted by an unexpected coughing fit.

"Rei-chan are you alright?!" Usagi immediately rushed to her friend's aid while Makoto stood up and began slapping Rei firmly on the back.

As uncomfortable as her sudden attack had been, Rei was not nearly stupid enough to not see a perfect opportunity when it presented itself.

"I'm okay, I think I just need some air."

Makoto looked dubious and she settled her hand on her friends back as the coughs began to subside. "Do you want us to go with you?"

Another fortunate side effect of her near death coughing experience was that it looked like Makoto and Usagi had completely forgotten that her Teletia-S had gone off.

Rei grabbed her coat from the back of her chair and headed toward the stairs. "It's alright. I'll call if I need anything." Heading up the stairs Rei turned back quickly to look at Makoto. Choking back another cough Rei smirked at the taller girl. "Maybe you two should play a game of hangman to pass the time?"

"Ahhh!! That's such a good idea Rei-chan." Usagi came bounding up beside Makoto, the miko now completely forgotten. "Can we please Mako-chan?!"

Rei exited their secret room to the sounds of an overly excited Usagi and the distinct feeling of a glare burning through her jacket.

* * *

Exiting Crown Rei instantly flipped open her phone and pressed the speed dial button for Minako. Pressing the phone to her ear she was quickly greeted by the friendly sound of Minako's voice mail.

"Just like her to not answer." Rei shoved her phone back into pocket and began stalking off angrily toward anywhere that was other than where she was. "Probably another one of her cockamamie training schemes."

"Who's scheming?"

Rei whipped around and was greeted by the smiling face of the idol. She glowered at the other girl and raised her eyebrow when Minako held up her cell phone.

"My battery was running low. And you took so long to call me back." Minako cast a mournful look at the offending communication device and pretended to throw it onto the street. "And what did take you so long anyways?"

Rei didn't even get a chance to attempt an answer before another cough made it's way up from her still irritated throat.

"I had a little bit of a respiratory set back." Minako frowned slightly and took up what had just minutes ago been Makoto's job of patting Rei on the back. It was odd, suddenly Rei could no longer even register the fact that her throat felt like a desert and her lungs were threatening to shoot out her mouth, the only sense that she was cognitive of was that Minako's hand was on her back moving up and down in a soothing gesture.

Startled by this new found awareness of the idol's proximity, Rei backed away and ducked her blushing face away from Minako's view.

"I'm sorry." By the sound of Minako's voice, Rei knew that if she had been looking at the idol at that moment, her heart probably would have broken.

Reaching out blindly while still coughing, Rei alternated between feebly patting Minako on the arm and swatting at the air. "It's okay." Tears were now streaming down her face. "I just don't want to cough all over you."

"You are kind of disgusting right now."

Rei wiped the tears from her eyes and swatted at Minako's arm again. With her vision free from it's watery obstruction her assault was much more effective "Never mind that. So why did you want to see me anyways?"

"Well, I have a break in my schedule and I was bored and I hoped that maybe you were bored too." Minako tentatively placed her hand on Rei's arm when the miko finally stopped coughing. She was relieved when she was not pushed away. Minako absentmindedly brushed Rei's bangs from her eyes. "You're a mess. We should get you to a bath room to wash up."

"That's probably a good idea." Rei followed after the other girl as she headed towards her waiting car. "And I was bored actually." Not that hanging out with Usagi and Makoto was the least entertaining thing she could imagine, but she drew the line at playing hangman.

"Well it's a good thing that I came to your rescue then." Minako had a smug smile on her face. "I bet you're always bored whenever I'm not around."

"Ha! If you call not being driven to the edge of my sanity boredom, then I'd gladly take that any day." Rei's words may have came out harsh but the shoulder that bumped against Minako's and the small smile that played on her face gave her away. She was happy to be here. Impending insanity be damned.

Minako returned Rei's gentle nudge and then tugged lightly on Rei's arm to pull the miko into the car with her. "So what do you want do today?"

"I honestly don't care what we do so long as it doesn't involve playing hangman." Minako raised a questioning eyebrow at the mention of hangman. "Don't ask."

Deciding not to push the temperamental girl too far, Minako just settled on a nod and asked her driver to head towards her hotel.

"Okay so hangman is out." Placing a contemplative finger on her chin, Minako's eyes suddenly lit up and she grinned at Rei.

The light dancing behind the idol's eyes sent a chill of terror down Rei's spine. "What are you planning?" She was learning to be very wary of the pranks that Minako loved to play and she recognized this look as Minako's prank concocting look.

"I'm not planning anything Reiko." Her grin only grew when Rei scowled and slumped her shoulders at the mention of the nickname. "Oh don't be so gloomy. I'm just looking forward to spending time with you today." Poking a finger in to the miko's ribs, Minako forced a smile to return to the other girls face. "And besides. You were the one who asked for this remember?"

It was true. She had asked to have the idol around more often. And so she was happy. She was happy to be with Minako right now. She was happy despite the fact that she was positive Minako was planning some undoubtedly mortifying prank. So this time when Minako smiled at her she eagerly met the smile with one of her own, no rib poking needed.


	5. Chapter 4

AN:*&*$#^&%^!!!!!!! I honestly cannot believe how much I neglected this story. I had half of this chapter sitting on my hard drive forever before finishing it. I blame school starting up again and my failing of Stats. My apologies!

**Act 26**

"I have to hurry."

"Okay."

"See you."

Rei waved goodbye to Makoto and Usagi as she exited Crown, barely registering the half-hearted, drenched in pathetic farewell of Motoki. She didn't have the time to worry about anyone else's drama at the moment as she was heading towards her very own personal soap opera.

The previous days events had left her with a plethora of questions and so it was with no small amount of relief and excitement that she answered her phone when Minako finally decided to arrange a meeting with her. In fact she was having a hard time convincing herself that she hadn't jumped up from the floor to attack the buzzing phone that had been sitting on a table. Fifteen feet away.

Rei scanned the crowded street searching for any sign of Minako while at the same time not expecting to find anything. As she spent more time with the flighty idol, Rei was becoming increasingly aware that Minako would never show up when she was being sought out. Instead, Rei decided that Minako took a disturbingly sick pleasure in popping up out of no where. And sure enough, this instance would prove not to deviate from the norm and Rei couldn't see anything that indicated that the idol was near by.

After releasing her patented long suffering sigh the miko took on an air of indifference and began walking down the street with no particular destination in mind. She knew Minako would find her. When Minako was ready to find her. She wasn't about to hang around outside of Crown like a lost little puppy dog waiting for it's master. And she most certainly was not going to go chasing around like some crazed fan girl desperate for even the smallest glimpse of the idol. No instead Rei was going to wander around aimlessly for what could be countless hours. It was a flawless, if not lengthy, plan. And it certainly was not a plan that would end up with her looking like the fool. Unless of course it was the case that Minako was walking behind her right now trying to suppress that obnoxiously contagious giggle of hers.

Realizing that her last thought was more than likely true, Rei stopped dead in her tracks only to feel a gentle tapping on her shoulder. After setting her also patented flower wilting scowl firmly in place on her face, Rei whipped around only to discover that her assailant was in fact imaginary. Or so she thought until she once again felt an irritating drumming on her shoulder.

"Minako!" Before the idol could sneak away out of the miko's reach, Rei shot out her hand and grasped the other girl tightly around the wrist, effectively bringing the two girls face to face. Scowl met smirk and as was usually the case smirk won out when the scowl was replaced with an impish grin and a light kick to the idol's shin.

"Happy to see me Reiko-san?" As soon as the words had left Minako's mouth the scowl returned and Rei was in the process of storming off in the opposite direction. Minako knew the game that she was playing with Mars. She was all too familiar with it and the steps to their own private waltz were imbedded into her very being. She wouldn't have to chase Mars just yet. So she waited.

And five seconds was all it took. "I honestly don't know if I'm ever happy to see you or if I'm just so far off the edge of sanity that the most ludicrous situations get me giddy." Cue the music.

Slide to the left. "I make you giddy?"

Cut it to the right. "I also recall mentioning the word ludicrous."

And stop. "Maybe you're just attracted to crazy people. I mean just look at Usagi." And this was Minako's favorite part. After the fancy foot work and the tip-toeing around everything but the obvious, she is rewarded with a smile and for a little while her heart feels impossibly light.

"Point taken." The two girls were now locked in an awkward pseudo staring contest. Minako was trying desperately to find any sign of remembrance in the miko's eyes. While Rei was, as usual, trying to look anywhere but at the idol.

Rocking back on her heels, Rei remembered just why it was that she was so anxious to speak to Minako in the first place. Now was not the time for flirting, or whatever it was that they did. Rei needed answers, and Minako was going to give them to her.

"Why did you lie to me?"

"You're stealing my lines Mars. I'm supposed to be the one that gets right down to business chastising you for your faults as a Senshi." So that was how Mars wanted it to play out. Minako locked her eyes directly on Rei's before walking away determinedly in the direction of her waiting car.

"You're just going to run away?" Yelling in the middle of a crowded street wasn't exactly one of Rei's favorite things to do. In fact, it could be fairly suggested that she would much rather have the earth open up and swallow her whole than be in this particular situation. But she wasn't about to just let the troublesome idol walk away. "You were the one that called me to get together today. Or have you conveniently forgotten that?"

_I'm not the one who is guilty of forgetting things Reiko._

Minako was about half way to her car when she decided to turn around and give the now very incensed miko permission to follow. "Are you coming? Or do you not want to hear what I have to say after all?"

Shaking her head, Rei allowed a small apologetic smile to grace her face for the briefest of moments. There were still quite a few Minako-isms that she needed to get used to. Not to mention the fact that maybe, like most sane people, Minako thought it would be slightly more practical to discuss this in a place and manner than did not require yelling in the middle of a crowed street. Ducking into the car beside Minako, Rei chanced a glance over and noticed a frown now dominating the only moments ago laughing face of the other girl. Rei did her best to pull the rest of her foot out of her mouth and laid a gentle hand on Minako's arm.

"I'm sorry."

"Hot head."

"Prima-donna."

* * *

Secretly Rei loved this place. It wasn't the glamorous sandy beach setting you'd see on some American television show from California. But three of the essential ingredients to creating the perfect location were all here. Waterfront, a setting sun and the twinkle of city lights in the early evening. And sitting here right now listening to the tide ebb in and out, Rei was considering adding a fourth ingredient as she tuned back into the happy babble of the girl sitting next to her.

Minako was sitting cross-legged near the end of the pier. She was absentmindedly picking at the bottom of her sneakers. The breeze was playing with her hair and Rei could only describe the image as impossibly cute and not how she would ever have picture the idol looking. Minako the idol was perfect and not someone to ever be caught dead picking pebbles out of her soles. And so there were no words available to Rei to express how happy she was at being allowed to see the human side of this girl.

Lost in her own hapless wonderings, Rei was unable to anticipate the brutal assault she was about to be beset with. Before any time was allotted for an appropriate defensive position to be taken, Minako had reached over and swatted Rei upside the head. "Ow!"

"Have you even been listening to a word I've said?"

Rei rubbed the spot where Minako had just attacked her. "Of course I have." She was sure there would probably be a bump. "You were just talking about the concert you preformed where one of your heels broke off and you were able to save yourself from a fractured ankle by employing some last second Senshi acrobatics. Which as I recall the press raved about for weeks." Rei looked over just in time to see the grin she knew would be on Minako's face. The idol loved it whenever Rei showed the slightest evidence that she followed her career, even if it was only ever in secret. "And so I think that act of violence you just inflicted on me was rather uncalled for and it would serve you well to know that vengeance will be mine. I won't tell you how or when. But it will be mine."

Minako could only laugh. "You think I'm scared of you? There is a reason I'm the leader you know." Minako regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth. If there was any guaranteed way to get Rei to completely shut down, it was talking about the past life. "I didn't mean it like that."

"Of course you did." Rei stood up abruptly and rested her elbows on the railing in front of her. "But that doesn't matter." They had already waged their own private war today. Minako had explained why she thought it was necessary to lie to Rei about being the princess and how it had benefited their mission. Rei insisted that she didn't care about any of that and that all that mattered was that Minako had lied to her. And then they had sat in an awkward silence for a while until Minako had started in on her humorous monologue describing her most memorable concerts.

The two girls existed together now in their common state of juxtaposed silence. Rei stood staring out over the water lost in the ebb and flow while Minako found herself drifting in and out of her memories of her past life with Rei. A life that was incredibly different yet painfully similar to this one.

"What are your plans for tomorrow?"

Minako started. "I - think I have a radio show to do tomorrow."

"Oh."

Standing up, Minako casually placed her hands behind her head as she leaned back against the railing that Rei was now slouched over, her head resting on her crossed arms. "Why do you ask?" She knew the answer. But this was also part of the game.

"I was just wondering when I would get to see you again." This openness was becoming a more commonplace occurrence for Rei. Her habit of dodging and covering up what she really wanted to say was slowly disappearing. "I want to see you again. Soon"

Minako smiled and tugged on Rei's sleeve pulling her in the direction of her car. They both had classes in the morning, and it was time to call it a night before something jumped out at them from the encroaching darkness. "Well I'm not sure about tomorrow. But you never know, something could come up." The two girls continued walking the short distance to the car, neither one in very much of a rush to leave. "But how about I promise that if all else fails I will at least call you tomorrow?"

Rei returned the idol's smile. "I think I can live with that."


	6. Chapter 5

**Act. 28**

**Scene 1**

It was one of those moments that defined your life. A certain time and place where you can actually feel everything changing and you know that from this moment on everything will be different.

At least that's how Makoto felt right now. "Aino Minako is Sailor Venus!? Really?!"

A blush crept up onto Rei's face and she ducked away from Makoto's gaze. She couldn't help but feel a little bit depressed. Her favorite secret was no longer a secret. And although she would no longer have the pressure of having to keep everything so hush-hush, she also had the distinct feeling that she might now loose out on some of her private Minako time.

"I thought it would be best if only I knew." Makoto tried her best not to reach out and strangle her friend. If 'friend' was even an appropriate term to use in this circumstance. "I get it! I apologize for being silent." Rei fixed her friend with a threatening look and stormed off. Makoto would just have to get over it.

Makoto glared at the retreating form of her friend for two seconds. And then she was over it. But only because she was too shocked by Rei's apology to continuing being angry at the miko. "Luna isn't the only one that's changed."

* * *

Minako was bored. There was nothing in this world that the idol hated more than doing radio interviews. It was all just so impersonal. She would rather have to face a mob of rabid fans every day of the week than have to deal with this.

_What is with this DJ? I swear they just keep getting more annoying every time. He's probably going to corner me for an autograph after this. And of course he'll give the customary excuse that it's for his sister or girlfriend._ Minako looked at up at the DJ sitting across from her. _Or maybe his mother. _

_Maybe I should have a conversation with Manager-san about the interviews he books me into. Oh no, what did he just ask me? Something about the new single. Or maybe the tour schedule. _"We checked the options and tried to pick the best one." _I hope that was a generic enough answer. Absolutely no commitment in that answer what so ever. Manager-san will so be pleased. I can already hear the squeals._

As soon as she had answered the question Minako had already tuned back out. If she didn't love the life of an idol as much as she did, she would probably quit just to be able to avoid having to do these interviews ever again. Scanning the crowd standing excitedly outside the radio station, Minako took notice of the familiar signs that the fan-girls would have stayed up all night making. She could pick out the hardcore fans, the casual fans and the closet fans who were pretending to be there only because all of their friends were Aino Minako fans. A category that Mars would fall nicely into. Which made perfect sense because she was standing right in the middle of the crowd.

_What? Why is Mars here? And with Jupiter? _Minako's brow furrowed. Mars could play the part of a stalker very well. But being seen at an Aino Minako radio appearance was, in Minako's opinion, pushing the limits a fair bit too much for the miko. _Something must have happened._ Without much more than a blink the confusion left Minako's face and she smiled pleasantly at the DJ. Manager-san would have her head if she didn't smile enough. Kicking at the bag by her feet Minako was able to get Artemis' attention and she could only hope that he would be able to help Mars enough until she could get away from this mind numbingly dull interview.

**Scene 2**

Everything was back to normal. Ami was back fighting for the side of good and Rei could now go back to worrying about more important things. Like the shrine, and her school work and how to stop the Dark Kingdom. Just normal teenage girl stuff.

Rei was laying down on her floor alternating between staring up at the ceiling and letting her head loll to one side to stare for a prolonged time at either her wall or through the door into the world outside her room. It was strange to feel so discontented when everything seemed to be going so well. She knew what was wrong, and she was just doing her best to ignore the actual fact. Maybe in Minako's view they had seen each other during the fight and so that negated the need to make her promised phone call.

Rei pulled her Teletia-S out of her pocket for the twentieth time this hour, just to make sure that it was still working. Which of course it was. She was starting to act like an obsessive compulsive and the thought of laying in the same spot for much longer constantly checking her silent cell phone was very much past the point of bearable.

Rei stood up slowly and continued contemplating the phone that she held tightly in her hand all the while recalling that saying about watched pots. Placing the Teletia-S on one of her tables, Rei left her room intent on finding something to do to occupy her time. Something that had absolutely nothing to do with unreliable idols.

**Scene 3**

Minako stood looking out over the city through her hotel window, her cell phone held up delicately next to her ear. A small frown appeared on her face when the ring was all too quickly replaced by a voice mail prompt instead of an actual voice.

"Minako. What's wrong?" Artemis pawed over to his charge and hopped up onto the table beside her.

Minako sighed and laid a gentle hand on the plushy's head. "I'm okay." Unfortunately Artemis wasn't intending on buying that for a second.

"Maybe now that Mercury has returned from the Dark Kingdom the four of them are spending more time with each other?" He didn't like saying it. He knew it would hurt her. But Artemis also knew that Minako needed to start working harder at distancing herself from Mars. Or course that line of reasoning didn't stop him from wanting to take back everything he had just said after seeing the look that was now on Minako's face.

"You're right. She probably just doesn't have time right now. Now that Mercury is back." Minako glanced at the phone in her hand once more before shutting it off. Maybe Artemis was right. She had been spending an awful lot of time with Mars lately. And too much time spent focusing on that interest would only hurt her mission.

Still, she would definitely try calling again tomorrow. But Aino Minako was not known for her patience and the idol turned her cell phone over in her hand five times before turning it back on. The screen came to life and illuminated the area around her just in time for the phone to start buzzing in her hand.

"Hello?" Minako could hear the distinct sound of crashing on the other end and she cringed when a loud 'ow' followed by a very colourful curse word reached her ear. "Reiko-san are you sure proper shrine maidens should be using that kind of language?"

"Probably not. But I challenge any proper shrine maiden to not curse after knocking a table over onto their foot. That is of course assuming proper shrine maidens even know that kind of language."

Minako smiled. "I tried calling you earlier."

"I know. I was out. I'm sorry." There was a moment of dead air as Minako contemplated how to respond. She was just trying to accept having to distance herself from Mars again, and now here she was playing the victim.

"I thought maybe you were busy with the others now that Mercury is back from the Dark Kingdom." Minako walked in circles around the hotel room, a habit that Artemis was not very fond of as she would often forget where he was and end up either sitting on him, stepping on him or swatting at him at some point.

"No." Rei paused, "You took off rather quickly today. I thought maybe you would stay and celebrate with us." The last part was said almost as an afterthought and Minako couldn't quite read the miko's feelings on it.

"I didn't want to intrude. Since guys are friends outside of your Senshi duties." The idol frowned and hid her face from Artemis so he wouldn't see it. "I didn't feel right barging in on that."

"You know, you can be friends with all of us."

"What, are you getting tired of having me all to yourself?" This was what Minako really wanted to talk about. And even though she was all too aware of Artemis' eavesdropping, she looked forward to this way too much every day to just deny herself the opportunity to string Mars along.

"Of course not." There was no way that Minako would ever be able to understand how she could tolerate having her heart beat this way and not grab a hold of Rei and tell her how frantically in love with her she was. "I just think that if the others knew who you were and we could all get together then I could see you more often." Any day now Minako fully expected to be arrested for dropping news letters from an office building declaring her love for all the world to see. But Minako could see the look of disapproval on Artemis' face from all the way across the room and as much as she wanted to jump at the invitation, reality is reality and it really sucked. Four months left.

"We have to think about the mission." She waited to hear the dial tone.

"Having you around is more important than the mission." She wished she could just hear the dial tone. Minako let out a slow sigh and fought back a sob. Only four months. "What's wrong?"

Minako could suddenly hear her mother's voice in her head. _"Always answer with a smile on your face because the person on the other end will be able to hear the smile in your voice." _Plopping down gracefully on the couch Minako plastered her best fake smile on her face and abruptly changed the subject. She really just wanted to enjoy this before it was all taken away from her again. Illnesses and missions be damned.

Out of the corner of her eye she could see Artemis frown once more in disapproval as he turned to leave the room. And all Minako could do was smile. Completely happy to be having the conversation she was having and all too excited for tomorrow to come so she could see Rei again.


	7. Interlude 2

Author's Note: So nothing really big happened in Acts 29 and 30 on the Rei and Minako front, so I decided to create another Interlude of my own design to fill that void. Also this chapter proves to be quite important as it starts up some angst! Ah no angst! But we all knew that was coming seeing as how we are heading into the later Acts and as much as I'd like too I can't bypass the angst completely ;)

**Acts 29 and 30**

**Scene 1 (Act 29)**

Rei thought there was something very odd about people. It wasn't necessarily something that you could put your finger on. But there was something in the way that people walked and talked. The way that everyone seemed to be hiding something, something that they were protecting so hard it looked to be almost killing them and it seemed as if the revelation of their secrets would change the world. Rei reclined back on the bench she was sitting on and shoved her hands underneath her crossed knees as she watched the people passing in front of her on the sidewalk. She couldn't help but find it weird that she was having these thoughts all the while knowing that she held within herself a secret that could actually change the world.

"Penny for your thoughts?" The miko smiled up at the idol as Minako approached the bench where Rei was currently taking up residence.

Rei didn't gesture for Minako to sit beside her, but the way that she casually brushed some dirt off of the bench with her sleeve was invitation enough. "You're late. And you're going to need much more than a penny if you plan on discovering all of my deepest, darkest thoughts."

"Well," Minako winked over at Rei. "I guess I better start saving then." The two girls shared a private smile and then Rei went back to her previous activity of people watching. "Also, I'm sorry for being late. Artemis was lecturing me about work, school, my Senshi duties and the whole nine yards before I ditched him at the hotel." Minako chewed on her lip pensively for a moment as if what she was about to say could be considered borderline insane. "Where do you suppose that saying came from anyways? I mean, nine yards of what?"

Rei could only look over at her as if she had just grown a second head. "You're seriously asking me this?"

"Well you know, maybe you got bored one day and decided it could be fun to consult the fire about random nonsensical things like this." Chancing a sideways glance over at the miko, Minako could plainly see that she still wore the same expression of absolute horror and revulsion and so the idol decided that the ground would be a much better thing to look at for the time being.

"First of all, the sacred fire is not to be toyed with." Rei cleared her throat and sat up with all the dignity she could muster. Which was really quite an impressive amount. "And secondly, the most commonly decided origin of the saying is dated back to World War II when it was used to describe the use of the entire ammunition belt in an aircraft machine gun as the belt measured nine yards."

Minako blinked. Not just once, but quite a few times. "I don't think I know how to respond to that."

"It might be best if you don't." Rei stood up and twisted around to look at Minako, who still seemed to be a little bit lost in confusion. Without even thinking Rei reached down and grabbed Minako by the hand, gently tugging the still stunned idol to her feet.

Minako thought there was something very odd about people and the way they walked around everyday fighting to protect their secrets. What a disaster it would be if they were discovered. In the span of the briefest moments, Rei held onto Minako's hand and brushed her thumb over the soft skin. For Minako's part she couldn't even be sure if it had actually happened. It was so quick and Rei wasn't even looking at her as she did it. It happened almost like a habit. Like something they did every day. But Hino Rei couldn't haven known that. And so Minako dismissed it. And frowned only slightly when Rei dropped her hand as casually as she had picked it up.

"So you mentioned some girl named Mio when you called me?" Rei was now walking down the side walk in the direction of the Hikawa shrine and Minako had to hurry to catch up.

"Yea, Kuroki Mio." Minako fell into step beside Rei and the two girls easily matched pace. "She's new in the idol scene. And I don't think I like her."

"What, are you afraid someone might steal all the attention away from you?" Rei smirked and then added, "Because I didn't think that was possible and the world might implode on itself if your face wasn't plastered everywhere."

Minako elbowed Rei in the ribs and continued walking as the miko doubled over in pain. "Oh don't be such a baby, I've seen you take harder hits than that. But maybe that will teach you to not say such hurtful things."

"I would miss your face." Still hunched over Rei crouch-sprinted to keep up with Minako, only seeming to notice what she had just said when she saw the questioning look on the idol's face. "What I meant was that if I have to have pictures and news about an idol attacking me from all sides, I would prefer if that idol was you."

"Well thank you." Eyeing the miko suspiciously Minako helped her to straighten up. She would never be able to keep track of Rei's mixed signals. "Anyways, the point of what I was trying to say was that I don't trust her. And apparently she is now attending Juuban Middle School."

Rei was suddenly serious. "Do you think she could be after Usagi?"

"I don't know." Minako was biting her lip which was a clear indication that her concern ran deeper than she would ever let on in words. "But I think we should keep an eye out." Rei nodded and the two continued walking toward the shrine. An uneasy silence surrounding them.

**Scene 2 (Act 30)**

Walking into her room Rei unceremoniously dropped her school bag onto the floor. It was cloudy outside today and she found that fact exceptionally depressing. She was not looking forward to the two hours of chores she needed to get done today before she would be able to meet up with the others later in the evening. Sinking even further into her self imposed funk Rei sat down on her bed only to fall over sideways and in one fell swoop become the picturesque definition of pathetic.

There was only one thing that could possibly hope to rouse her from her lackadaisical mood and that thing was at that very moment ringing in her school bag. Rei lunged from her bed to grab her cell phone, painfully skinning her knee in the process. She would have to make a mental note to keep the darn thing in more convenient locations from now on.

"Hello?"

"Hello Reiko." Rei didn't know when 'Mars' and the suffix were dropped from her gifted name, and she definitely wasn't sure when she stopped being bothered by it. "Were you busy?"

"No, I just got in from school actually." Rei righted herself into a proper sitting position. "Why?"

"I just had a very interesting run in with that Mio girl."

Rei couldn't help but appreciate the coincidental timing of everything. "It's funny that you say that because I just heard from Makoto who heard from Ami that Usagi was setting up a concert with Mio." Rei made sure to pause for dramatic effect. Because even if she couldn't see the idol she knew that Minako was a sucker for good dramatic timing. "A concert for you."

"What!" Rei could here Artemis meowrl in the background and could only guess that he had just been the victim of one of Minako's emphatic telephone pacing gestures. "Why that lying, evil, conniving little…" Rei held the phone away from her ear slightly as an impressive string of profanity found its way out of the idol's mouth.

"Minako are you sure proper idols should be using that kind of language?"

"Yes!" Rei could only smile into the phone. She had never witnessed a Minako outburst that she was not the victim of before. It was a rather nice, and very amusing change of pace. "Stop smiling."

"I'm not smiling."

"Yes you are! I can hear you smiling." She was in fact no longer 'smiling', she was now struggling to keep from laughing from fear of re-directing Minako's idol rage in her direction.

"Okay. I'm sorry." Rei exhaled and fought to regain her composure. "You're just cute when you're upset."

"I'm always cute."

"If you say so." Rei could hear Minako rummaging around and raised an eyebrow in question. Which seeing as how this was a phone conversation seemed rather pointless, but Rei was in no position to tell her automatic response system how to behave. "What are you doing?"

"I'm…" Minako's voice was lost in a muffle that could only be caused by clothing. "Getting ready to go out and save Usagi's butt. Again."

"Do you want help? Because I was supposed to meet up with the three of them later on tonight."

"No it's okay. Just get the others together and do what you were going to do. Maybe Usgai-chan will come to her senses and just decide to meet up with you guys anyways." Minako smiled into the phone knowing exactly what comment was coming next.

"Ha! Usagi come to her senses? That'll be the day."

"Don't be mean Rei." There it was again and Rei couldn't for the life of her figure out when Minako switched from formality to complete familiarity. Like a habit. "I'll call you later when this all gets sorted out."

Rei heard the phone line click as Minako hung up on her end. Snapping her phone shut she once again fell over onto her side. Much less the previous vision of pathetic but still not looking forward to her two hours of chores.

**Scene 3 (Act 30)**

"So I hear you did good tonight." Rei didn't look up as Minako approached the courtyard door to her room. She could feel the other girl coming long before the idol was visible. "I thought you were going to call. Not that I'm not happy to see you."

"I know it's late. But I wanted to ask you something." Minako followed Rei inside and sat down on the floor. "Is that okay?"

Rei looked down at the other girl and closed her eyes in frustration at what she knew was coming. They had avoided it for so long. "It's okay."

"Have you remembered anything yet?" Minako looked up at Rei for emphasis. "From the past life?"

The truth was that Rei had. "No." But it wasn't anything concrete enough to allow for Minako to get her hopes up. "Nothing more than before." It was only fleeting visions and feelings that Rei was never really sure she felt or just completely imagined.

"It just seemed like lately, maybe you had." Minako stood up to leave. "Anyway it's late…"

"I don't act the way I act because of some past life." Minako looked down at the hand that Rei had used to grab hold of her wrist with in her efforts to prevent the idol from leaving.

"Are you sure?" Taking the miko's hand in her own, Minako freed herself from Rei's grip, holding on to the suddenly shaking hand until the distance she was placing between them was too great and Minako disappeared from Rei's sight.

For her own part, Rei was stunned. She hadn't been giving too much thought to the brief feelings she got that she supposed could be called memories. For Rei it was always better to live in and be thankful for the fact that in this life, regardless of any past life, she was able to say she knows Aino Minako. And not just Aino Minako the idol. But Aino Minako the girl that only she gets to see.

Why did it have to become complicated by something that happened in the past. Rei had no idea how long she remained staring out into the courtyard outside her room. But eventually the sun came up and another day started.


	8. Chapter 6

Author's note: Thank you all for the reviews! I love this story and I'm truly glad that you all do too.

**Act 33 (And the very beginning of 34)**

Eventually Rei found her way back to Hikawa shrine. Still reeling from the attack of the youma she didn't really know what her next move should be, and settling into a state of pure catatonia seemed like a blissful idea. Sitting down on a bench at the front of the shrine, Rei let her head fall into her hands and struggled to keep back the tears. There was absolutely nothing that could make this week any worse. Well, almost nothing.

"Hello Artemis." Rei raised her head slightly to make out the form of the white plush cat moving towards her.

Inclining his head slightly, Artemis came to a stop just in front of Rei. "Mars. How are you?"

"Well that depends," Rei smirked bitterly and rose from her sitting position to pace around the courtyard. "Are you asking for you or for her?"

Artemis jumped up into the spot that Rei had just vacated and began mimicking the miko's pacing. "Rei-chan, listen please."

"No Artemis you listen." Rei wheeled around on the plush cat and crouched down so she was eye level with him. "I'm tired and I'm upset and I'm dealing with way too much right now to even give a second thought to anything that silly idol has to say for herself. First she comes here and throws everything I've built with her into question and then she just disappears for a few days with nothing but a third party command telling me to stop Usagi from going to London." To say that Rei was livid would have been an understatement. "And now on top of that I have youma attacking me and an absentee father who suddenly wants back in the picture. And where is Minako now? Just gone."

Rei collapsed suddenly onto the bench beside Artemis and balled her hands up into fists as if fighting against everything inside of herself that wanted to just cry out in frustration.

_I don't act the way I act because of some past life._

Visions flitted through Rei's mind. Recollections of her time spent with Minako. Words and phrases that could have meant much more than they did by simple virtue of their having been said. Touches and gestures that weren't so black and white anymore.

_Are you sure?_

The truth was that Rei was missing Minako terribly, much more than she should. She had had no idea how much she had come to depend on the idol until all of this drama with her father had brought the reality of how the other girl's absence affected Rei out into the harsh light of day.

"What gives her the right?"

_Our now is influenced by reasons in the past._

Rei could hear Makoto's words echoing in her mind. She refused to believe that her actions where influenced by someone that was long dead. Even if that someone was her it didn't matter now. In this life she was Hino Rei and her actions were solely her own.

"Artemis?" The plushy moved closer and placed a reassuring paw on Rei's leg.

"Yes?" He had come here of his own volition. After Minako had decided to tell him about her last meeting with Mars and hearing from Luna about the youma attack and the events with Rei's father, Artemis could no longer continue to just be a bystander. By the dictates of tradition he was mainly the guardian of the Princess of Venus, but he also dearly loved the rest of the Senshi. And so he had come here today, hoping to offer some kind of absolution.

"What…" Bracing herself and breathing in deep, Rei jumped and she wasn't planning on looking back. "What were Mars and Venus to each other in the past life?"

Artemis looked up at this incarnation of the princess of Mars and was overwhelmed by sadness. For the first time since meeting the Fire Senshi in this life he finally saw past the minute changes and once again saw Rei for what she truly was. Just a girl, fighting an impossible fight and simply innocent even for all the evils in the world. He had sworn to avoid this. It was vital to the mission. But being here now, looking at this hurt and broken girl whom he cared for deeply he couldn't fight it any longer. Bracing himself and breathing in deep, Artemis jumped

"Everything." It was the only word that could do it justice. "In the Silver Millennium, Mars and Venus were everything to each other." Artemis waited for some signification of shock from Rei, but when nothing came he just continued talking. "You were older then than you are now. In the Silver Millennium it would still have been two years yet until the two of you met. But when you did finally meet there was no way in denying the pull that existed between the two of you."

"In the beginning you caused every kind of havoc possible on the Moon Kingdom. Anywhere the two of you would go together something was bound to get destroyed in some way or another." Artemis watched Rei as he was telling his story. He could see the vague signs of remembrance flash behind her eyes. It was like watching someone see the sunrise for the first time. "Queen Serenity didn't know what to do with the two of you. You challenged Minako on every command she issued. And she fought back with equal gusto. Neither of you would give even the smallest of inches. On several occasions Luna and I considered letting Jupiter and Mercury share command of the Senshi. And then one day it just seemed to change."

Rei could suddenly recall it all with the utmost clarity. She was able to pinpoint the exact moment when her former self fell hopelessly in love with the Minako of the past life. The emotion was so strong that Rei was almost strangled by it.

"I remember." Rei spoke under her breath and Artemis just sat and waited patiently for her to continue. "I remember it was six months after we were all brought together to live in the Moon Palace. Minako and I had had a huge argument and we didn't speak to or even look at each other for a week until Princess Serenity cornered me and told me to fix what I had done to make Minako sad." Rei smiled as the memories came rushing back. "I was confused at first because I didn't think that anything could make her sad. I think I often used to say she had a heart of stone."

"But that day, after being cornered by the Princess, I walked out into the gardens and saw Minako sitting on a bench by a fountain. I remember thinking that she looked so sad and I thought to myself that I never wanted to see her looking like that ever again." Rei gently cradled her head in her hands and began to sob quietly. "Artemis, I don't want the way I feel in this life to only be real because of what happened in the Silver Millennium. And I don't think I can trust that anything that Minako might be feeling can possibly be more than what the past life decides she should feel."

And it was to this problem that Artemis could pose absolutely no solution. He didn't understand how the transference of emotions worked between the Senshi's past and present selves. And he could only blame himself for not asking Minako more about the origin of her feelings for Rei in this life long ago. He was always first and foremost concerned with the mission, never expecting to have to deal with anything like this. Never expecting that Minako would live long enough for him to have to deal with this.

"For that I don't know what advice to offer you Mars." Artemis looked up at the miko to see her staring out blankly across the courtyard. "I can't tell you the meaning of what you feel for Minako in this life. Only you can decide what depth it holds for you."

"You cannot tell her what we discussed here." Rei's fists clenched once more and she turned to look down at the white cat beside her. "She can't know that I remember. At least not until I fully understand what this means for me."

"You can trust me that I will not breathe a word of this."

Finally Rei smiled at Artemis and placed a gentle hand on his head. "You and I had many conversations like this in the past life didn't we?"

"You were a challenge back then Rei-chan and Luna refused to deal with you. And so it was left to me to have the late night arguments with you in the gardens." He had never admitted it to anyone then, and he probably wouldn't in this life either. But as much as their relationship was taxing on Mars and Venus, Artemis was beyond thrilled that they had found each other. Which was something that deep down more than anything, he hoped could be possible in this life as well, no matter how much he discourage Minako to fight against it. And now there is only four months left.

"What are you going to do about your father Rei-chan?" With one catastrophe dealt with, at least as best as it could be, Artemis decided it would be best for both of them to move on to the next. It was always better with Mars to move away from the topics in which emotions ran the strongest.

"I don't know." Rei sighed and stood up from the bench to begin pacing again. "I was thinking about hiding out at Crown for a while."

"That sounds like it might be a good idea. At least we know it's safe there." Artemis jumped down from the bench and moved towards the stairs leading down from the shrine. "From youma and fathers."

"I miss her." Rei was standing with her back to Artemis so that the plushy would not be able to see the tears threatening to run down her face.

"I know." And with that the white cat left the grounds of the shrine and Rei headed inside towards her room. Shifting herself into auto-pilot, Rei grabbed a bag and began filling it with everything she would need to hide out at Crown for a while. It was best to work fast so she wouldn't have time to think. Unfortunately even the best laid plans can often lead to failure and Rei's eye caught sight of the photograph sitting on her table. Picking it up her mind cursed the return of memories from both this life and the past.


	9. Chapter 7

**Act 35**

**Scene 1**

"I decided not to use my time in vein." Minako regarded her stuffed guardian with sympathy. She would never be able to understand how he was able to deal with all of this. "We have a mission passed down from our past life right? That's what I live for. So that the past doesn't repeat."

"Minako." Artemis shook his head and sighed. "You have more to live for than just the mission."

"I thought the mission was the only thing mattered." Minako regarded the cat suspiciously. "Where did your sudden change of heart come from?"

Artemis couldn't tell her. He had made a promise to Mars. But what if he could tell her? Artemis was reluctant to think of the possibility. He wasn't immune to reality, and as I continued to settle in and he was faced with the inevitability of losing his Minako his insistence on focusing solely on the mission began to fade. She could finally be happy in this life. And so maybe if he could tell her, she would want to fight to live in this life. No matter how hard he tried he would never be able to understand the reasoning for the suffering inflicted upon Minako. Happiness shouldn't be this difficult.

Maybe he could appeal to reason. He had always regarded his charge as a sensible girl. He would just conveniently forget the fact that those scorned by love are rarely reasonable, if ever. But still, it was worth a shot.

"But your life as Aino Minako matters too."

Minako laughed and laid her head back down on her pillow. She could hear the IV dripping in the background. She let the sound fill her being, her mind becoming lost in its rhythmic quality. She often thought, while she spent these nights alone with Artemis in the hospital, that if she could just cry maybe she would feel better. But try as she might, the release of grief was not something that had come very easily to her for some time now. Minako glanced sardonically over at the table across the room where her cell phone sat silently, exactly as it had been for the past five days. Without being able to find comfort in either grief or love, Minako was systematically convincing herself that this life was truly useful for nothing more than fulfilling her mission from the past.

"There is nothing that Aino Minako has in this life that is worth living for." Closing her eyes Minako focused on the soothing sound of the IV. "We saw to that when we decided it would be best for me to work alone. To distance myself from the others." Minako released a shaking breath. "When we decided I had to distance myself from Mars. Can you believe that I actually started to think that she might finally be remembering the past life?"

Artemis avoided looking at Minako. The guilt he felt at not being able to tell her about his conversation with Mars threatening to eat him alive. All he could do was watch while Minako denied herself a life in the present and therefore also any chance at the human comfort she longed for. And at the same time Mars continued to vehemently fight against the influence of the past life. In this life they lived in such stark contradiction to one another. Closing his eyes, Artemis wished that he could just knock their heads together and tell them both to stop being so emotionally inept and just do what they both wanted so much to do.

"Artemis?"

Artemis moved towards his charge. "Yes?"

Minako turned her head to look out the window of her room. "Can you leave me alone for a bit? Just until this treatment is done?" She couldn't bear to look at Artemis any longer. She was so angry at him for everything. And she was angry at herself for being angry at him, after all, they had at one point in time made those decisions together. What right did she have to exact judgement on Artemis when she had been just as guilty? Still solace is misery's most often kept companion and for the life of her all Minako wanted right now was to be truly and completely alone.

Artemis hopped down from the bed without a sound and pushed his way out of the slightly open door. Minako continued to stare out the window, watching as the clouds blocked out the moon and the stars one by one. By the lengthening of the time between the drips in her IV bag, Minako could tell that the nurse would be back shortly to do a final check-up and send her on her way. This hospital room was becoming the embodiment of the feelings she held within herself. Cold, sterile and so lonely it was unbearable. She wished that, just for a moment, time could slow down and she could remain here alone with her thoughts and the reality of her death until her heart could resign itself to the conclusion her head was coming to.

Aino Minako could no longer exist. There was only time for Venus and the mission. Nothing else in this world mattered.

**Scene 2**

"You love him so much." Minako couldn't stand it any longer. Standing there watching her Princess forget her truest love. She just couldn't do it. She knew all to well what it was like to be part of a forgotten love and she couldn't cause her Princess that kind of pain. Even for the sake of her mission. Giving in, Minako dropped the music box to the floor.

**Scene 3**

Minako smiled sadly to herself as she left her Princess and Endymion alone on the rooftop. For all her earlier bravado she had only proved that she was still just as much a slave to her emotions as she had always been. She was at the same time disgusted with her inability to go through with her mission as she was glad that she was still herself enough to stop.

"You couldn't go through with it." Turning around, Minako saw Artemis following her down the stairs. She waited until he was two steps above her so that she could pick him up and carry him in her arms.

"Who am I to deny her that kind of happiness? They are just like we were." Minako sighed and shook her head. "She's never going to remember is she?"

"I don't know." Artemis was waiting for the negative karmic feedback to hit him full force any second now.

"Well it doesn't matter anymore anyhow." Minako put on her best brave face. It was a face born from years of practice. She had fought countless youma and faced many other demons in her short life. And now it was time for her to accept that the sun did not come up because of one person. If she could leave behind the part of her that wanted more than just to save the world then she could meet her fate head on. And so she threw up her walls and did her best to lock the door on her memories.

Minako reached the car that was waiting outside for her. Placing Artemis down on the seat beside her she lead forward to speak to the driver.

"We have to hurry or we're going to be late for the concert." The driver nodded and pulled away from the curb while Venus glanced back at the place where she began leaving Aino Minako behind.

* * *

**Author's Note:** So this chapter ended up being much shorter than I had originally drafted it to be. I was going to include Act 36 in this one as well, but then I though of a different way to tackle Act 36 and it became such a long section on it's own that I needed to give it it's own chapter. But I'll talk more about that in that 'Author's Note.'

**DavisJes:** As far as wikipedia knows the part about the 'whole nine yards' is true. I often find myself using that statement, probably about once a week and when it found it's way out of my head and into this story I wanted to see if I could find out an origin on it. There were a couple other origins suggested in the wiki article, but this one seemed the most likely for someone to know as it dealt with actual topics that could, in theory, be discussed in a history class... I'm not sure what kind of history class, but some kind I'm sure! As for where this story is going... My plans see it going into the special act for sure. As for anything after that, well that all depends on how quickly these two can get their act together ;)


	10. Chapter 8

Author's note: So I'm going to do something a little bit different in this chapter. In Act 36 Rei visits Minako at the hospital and I actually really like the scene that plays out between them. I just wish that I could hear what the characters could have been thinking… If they were following my storyline! So I decided that I would just rewrite that scene using the original dialogue and just adding the omnipotent viewpoint. I removed Artemis from the scene as well, he doesn't really say anything and I didn't want him there ruining the moment ;)

Also, does anyone else think it's weird that Minako always seems to have a car or something waiting for her? In fanfics and in the show. Maybe she has a built in GPS.

**Act 36**

**Scene 1**

Rei had had little trouble gaining access to Minako's hospital room. Through some very fortunate, or unfortunate depending on how she looked at it, fluke of luck, the nurses working at reception in the lobby recognized her as Mars Reiko from Minako's webpage and let her in without question. It was a convenience that she was both irritated by and extremely grateful for. Now all she needed to do was work up the courage to stop pacing around outside of Minako's room and knock. A feat that was proving much more difficult in the doing than the thinking.

There weren't suitable enough words available to Rei to describe how she felt when Usagi had shared her story about how the idol had collapsed on stage in the middle of her concert. All she could really remember was feeling like someone had grabbed a hold of her heart and was squeezing it so tightly it was no longer able to beat. She felt like she might have died, which was, Rei decided, a very unsettling thought. As the days wore on and she measured her feelings and tried to resolve her conflicts with the past life, Rei was becoming increasingly aware that not having Minako in her life was simply not an option.

Standing alone in the cold hallway, Rei could feel her heart beating so hard it threatened to burst through her chest. She could never recall a time when she had been as nervous as this. She could just imagine how she seemed, perhaps a lot like a love struck school girl. She was unable to pin exactly when it was that she lost the ability to control herself when she was near Minako.

Taking a deep breath and shaking the nerves away, Rei raised her hand and knocked quietly on the door in front of her.

* * *

Secretly Minako was glad to be back in the hospital room. She couldn't decide whether that made her extremely morbid or just really sad. Still she felt comfort here. There was no confusion in her hospital room. No conflicting emotions. There was nothing but the certainty that all things would eventually pass away. Minako smiled to herself as she looked over her webpage. Hardly any time at all had passed since she had fainted at the concert and already hundreds of fans had posted messages wishing for her to get well quickly. It should have been comforting to the idol to be gifted with such warm support from her fans, but it wasn't.

_Knock Knock_

Minako was startled by the knocking at her door, she could have sworn that she told Manager-san not to allow any visitors. However, it could be interesting to see who it was that was able to get past security just to see her.

"Come in."

Minako could feel her heart skip as she watched Rei slowly open the door. She was well aware that it had almost been a week since she had last seen or heard from the miko, but seeing her now for the first time in days, Minako truly realized how long it had felt. Much longer than five days. It could have been five lifetimes. It was probable that if Minako was at full strength right now and there wasn't a blanket of uncertainties covering their relationship, she would have jumped out of bed and embraced Rei for all she was worth. Knowing that that was something she couldn't do only made everything so much worse.

But she still couldn't help a small smile from appearing on her face. And she was beyond relived when it was returned, even if it was returned hesitantly. Right now Minako was more than happy to take anything that she could get so long as it meant that Rei was near her. Except that she was still standing in the doorway, which was proving to be a troubling distance to the idol.

"What's the matter? Come in."

Taking a calming breath, Rei pushed the door open enough so she could completely walk through. "Are you okay? I heard you were feeling tired."

"I want to say I'm okay…" She couldn't lie to Rei. When she had gone to the shrine that night five days ago she had made a promise to herself that she would no longer keep anything, well most things, hidden from her. There was nothing to be gained from playing games anymore. Any kind of games. Time was quickly running out and Minako knew that she would need to prepare Rei for what was coming. She needed her to be ready. "… but I can tell you the truth. I need your support."

Rei was confused. It was a feeling that she was becoming more and more used to lately. And she was fairly certain she didn't like it. She didn't know what truth the idol could have been alluding to. Minako had been with-holding the truth about the past life from her, but Rei didn't think that this truth had anything to do with that. Rei had always found the saying 'curiosity killed the cat' an odd one, and she could only hope that she would not be the feline in this situation.

"The truth?"

"… About my sickness." Right. A sickness. That would be the reason that they were having this conversation in a hospital. Rei could feel the muscles in her stomach clenching, memories of losing another loved one in the hospital coming unbidden to her mind. "I probably only have two or three months to live."

Minako watched Rei as she spoke the words. She could see the emotions swirling in the other girls eyes. A mixture of sadness, anger, and disbelief. She watched and felt nothing, already having accepted this reality long ago. She may have just produced a loaded gun, but for her the trigger had already been pulled. Minako was going to keep this conversation as business as possible. It was a quality that had been missing from their time together of late. But now the time for fun was over. Only one thing mattered now.

"I knew before I became a Sailor Soldier. I don't have a problem with that…" Like she had told Artemis the day before, there was nothing that Aino Minako had in this life that was worth living for. Now that she was finally convincing herself that there was no hope of Rei remembering the past life, Minako's life would just remain mundane and barely tolerable until she was able to succeed in the one thing that mattered to her anymore. The mission. "But before defeating the enemy I might be needed as a Soldier. Since I'm the leader."

"Wait a moment." Rei shook her head slightly. A vain attempt to clear her thoughts. "This is too sudden…" She couldn't help but feel like everything might be ending too soon after starting. She had just begun remembering. And she was just finally starting to understand why it was that her heart felt lighter every time she was with Minako. For the first time in her life since her mother died, Rei finally had someone that was worth living for. This insufferable idol made her world brighter and Rei was not about to simply accept the fact that she was going to die. She leaned into Minako's personal space, suffocating herself with the presence of the idol.

"There's a chance you'll recover right?" She wanted to beg and plead with Minako to say yes. Just to say yes that there was some hope. She hadn't had nearly enough time.

Rei was too close. Minako had to struggle to maintain the space that existed between them. "There's surgery. But chances of success are around zero." She said it with a shrug. It just didn't matter. But having Rei this close was clouding her judgment and she was having a hard time continuing to convince herself of that. "Arranging for it would be a laugh." She would just have to resort to shutting off all of her emotions.

Rei could have strangled her. "It's not something to laugh about!" She had to call upon all of her willpower to not walk away right there and just give up completely.

"That's why I don't want to waste my remaining time. Ever since I recovered my past life I found what I was supposed to do. I knew" It always led back to the mission.

Minako stared hard at Rei. Challenging the miko to look her in the eyes. And It hurt when Rei continually refused to meet her gaze. Rei would never be able to meet her in this life. They were all about bad timing and even worse circumstances. Always too close and too far from each other at the same time. Minako never looked away, still desperately searching for some kind of sign that Rei would remember, all the while knowing it was impossible.

"I will use the life I have left to fulfill my mission from my past life. However, sometimes I am as you see. That's why I want your support."

"Wait a moment! Must you go so far to be a Soldier?" Maybe this was all that had really ever mattered to Minako. But Rei couldn't believe that. The time they had spent together was real. So why didn't it seem to mean anything. "If there's even a chance of success…"

"I don't want to waste my life!" This had to stop. She had made up her mind. She and Artemis had been right in the beginning. It was too dangerous for her to get close to Mars. Having her emotionally involved would only make it impossible for Rei to accept what must be done. She had to make that clear. "Mars, please understand why we have these memories of our past life. We're here not to allow a tragedy to be repeated. The Princess and Endymion are defying that mission. You must be careful, the enemy's getting stronger." Minako continued to watch Rei as she listened. She could see the pain starting to etch it's way back onto the miko's face. She might be fighting against it with everything that she had inside of her, but the basic truth was that she still loved Rei. Completely and undeniably. And hurting her like this was breaking her heart.

"What a miserable face. It's all right. I can still fight. I can't trust you to do everything yet."

Rei looked down at Minako, sorrow quickly becoming replaced by anger. "That's not what matters!"

"Of course it is. We have to remember the past life…"

Rei cut her off short. "I'm sick of hearing about the past life. All it has done lately is complicate and ruin everything." Rei turned away from Minako's bed side and walked to the door. In the few steps it took her to get there she contemplated ten times over just walking out. But instead she laid her hand on the cool metal of the handle and slid the door shut, resting back against it with her eyes closed after the latch had clicked into place.

Minako watched as Rei leaned motionless against the door. She wasn't sure what to say anymore. The business side of this meeting had been taken care of and she wasn't sure she had the strength of will to deal with the personal side right now. Looking over at Rei she wasn't sure that the miko did either. Minako fell back onto her pillows and wished to herself that this was happening a week ago. Before she had ruined everything by calling Rei out on her actions. Before she had decided to forsake this life. There was only one thing she wanted right now and the one person who could give it to her was only standing ten feet away, but it may as well have been a thousand feet.

The air felt thick, heavy like a blanket and so hot it was making her skin flush. Rei could feel it settling on her. Surrounding her entire body and weighing down her lungs. She felt like if she moved again she might be sick. The only thing that she could do was breathe in the stale air and try to keep her heart from stopping. Only two or three months left. So much time wasted all because of some mission from a former life.

Rei hated the past life and everything it was doing to her. And maybe she did love this girl. But with such little time how could she ever know. Rei opened her eyes and looked over to see Minako sitting in a position that very much mimicked her own. Entirely deflated and too tired to continuing existing in this oppressive air that now surrounded them. Rei didn't want to waste her time in this life by being so preoccupied with missions and duties. Right now, in this moment she only wanted to do one thing.

Seeming to make up her mind about something, Rei pushed herself away from the door and crossed the short distance over to Minako's bed. Moving the table where the idol's laptop sat, humming quietly, Rei placed a shaking hand on Minako's shoulder, asking a silent question. At Rei's touch, Minako look up and knew immediately what Rei wanted and so she slid over and made room for the other girl to join her.

They had never been this close before in this life. It was a common practice that they would move apart awkwardly when too much time was spent within each others personal space. But propriety and hidden emotions didn't matter right now and Rei allowed herself to encircle Minako protectively in her arms. Just as she had done countless times before in a different time and place.

"I don't want to hear anymore about the past life today. And I'm still angry at you." Minako nodded and laid her head on Rei's shoulder after the miko had made herself as comfortable as she could on the small hospital bed. Minako could feel her heart beating madly in her chest and she fought to quiet it, knowing that Rei was only doing this to comfort a friend. In the past life this would have meant so much more. But Hino Rei doesn't care for the past life. Nor does she have any memory of it. But Minako would not begrudge this small comfort. It was a moment of weakness, and one that she would more than likely regret later. Quitting cold turkey was proving to be a challenge beyond what the idol had originally anticipated.

Neither girl knew how long they stayed in that position. But all good things must eventually come to an end and their moment was ruined when Rei's Teletia-S began ringing in her pocket.

"Hey. We'll be right there."

**Scene 2**

Minako had helped the other girls take Usagi to their secret room at Crown. It was her first time being there and she couldn't have left soon enough.

_This… all of this… because we bear the burden of a past life!_

Rei had not so much as looked at Minako the entire way to Crown, but as the idol went to leave Rei followed closely behind her. When they stepped out onto the busy street, the two girls stood and contemplated each other for a moment before Rei finally broke the silence.

"I refuse to accept the past life." Rei stared at the ground. Kicking at a pile of loose concrete. "I also refuse to allow it take something I care about away from me. You could get the surgery. Is the mission from the past life so important that you would just give up everything in this life for it?"

"I made my peace with this long ago Rei." Reaching down, Minako picked up Rei's hand and held it loosely in her own. "Knowing that my life would be cut short I knew that it was all the more important for me to focus on completing my mission. Please understand that if nothing else." Minako turned to leave and Rei took a hesitant step toward her at the last second.

"Can I see you tomorrow?" She was angry, and right now she even hated the idol a little bit. But she didn't want to spend so much time away from ever again.

Minako knew she should say no. They were just going to fall back into their usual habits. Things were too unstable right now for her to be so close. She should just say no. But she wouldn't. Minako smiled to herself. Thinking that they should make a patch for this.

Turning around, the idol put her brightest smile on her face. "You can come with me to work." And with that the idol turned again and headed in the direction of her car that was always conveniently waiting for her.

Rei watched the idol as she left and remained standing outside of Crown for a while after. This situation was too volatile. They were so close to the brink of disaster that soon they would have no choice but to jump. But Rei had made a decision back at the hospital. She didn't want to waste any of the time that was remaining. She would just have to try harder to talk some sense into Minako. The chances weren't completely zero, and that was the best thing that Rei had to hold on to right now. It was the only thing worth holding on to.


	11. Chapter 9

**Acts 37 to 39**

**Scene 1**

Rei fell backward over the arm of the couch with relative ease. It felt like falling into a cloud and she marvelled at how soft the fabric was. This room was like a heavenly assault on her senses. Everything was plush and glowing. She closed her eyes, breathed in deep and could easily imagine herself living like this.

"Careful, if you get too used to that you might have to start embracing your alternate ego a little bit more readily."

Rei lolled her head over to one side and watched as Minako thumbed through the memo's that had piled up on her desk. She had never been in a room that was anything quite like this. It was obvious to any casual observer that the life of an idol was a luxurious one, but this, this was something that Rei could not have imagined. And if there was even a remote possibility that she could end every day like this, cradled in the lap of luxury, she might have a hard time resisting it. Although, if she was going to be completely honest, it would be very difficult for her to easily embrace the persona Minako forced upon her. Maybe there was another way she could enjoy plush glowing couches without demoralizing herself completely.

"Maybe you'll just have to start supporting me with your illustrious career."

Minako smiled as she looked over at Rei, the wheels inside her head turning happily. "But you looked so cute in that Nako Nako costume today." She noted the death glare sent her way and continued with her attack. "I'm sure you could easily have a very large and very rabid following." She looked over at Rei long enough to see the miko sit upright, grimace firmly in place. "And besides," Minako waved her hand dismissively "I never had you pegged as the gold digger type." Turning her back to Rei, in a move that she was sure would further incite the miko, Minako never saw the projectile, aimed with deadly accuracy, careening right for her head.

Of course as luck would have it for Rei, the pillows that accompanied the aforementioned plush glowing couch were just as soft and entirely useless as weapons.

"Hey! That was mildly irritating!" Minako picked up the offending decorative item and threw it back at Rei. Rei cought the pillow with relative ease, picked up it's counterpart and began advancing on the idol.

"Well it's not my fault everything in this place is covered in an unnecessary amount of pillowy softness." Rei flung one pillow at the idol followed quickly by the other. Minako was unable to catch the second pillow and it ended up bouncing off her head. Soon the entire room was engulfed in a battle of epic proportions. The ultimate contest of good versus evil. Right versus wrong. Knight versus fire breathing dragon. And as with any proper battle of epic proportions it could only end with one side forced to the brink with only two options, win or fall to a gruesome and splattery death.

"Looks like you're out of room to run Mars." Rei stood precariously on the end of the couch with a book end in hand ready to defend her honor with her last breath. If there was ever a time for last minute awe inspiring acrobatics this was it. And Rei was nothing but a lover of timely last minute awe inspiring acrobatics.

"Well, I may be out of room," Rei calculated the distances and the necessary manoeuvres in her head, it might just work. "But you have failed to take one thing into account."

Minako held her two pillows up in her favorite attacking position and readied herself to deliver the final blow. "And what might that be exactly?"

Rei pointed her finger at a place just behind the idol's head. "That that's a really weird place to put a piano." And in the moment of confusion that Minako found herself in next, glancing over her shoulder and wondering what piano Rei was talking about, Rei dove around Minako, pulled her legs out from underneath her and rolled the idol and herself off of the couch, effectively disarming and pinning the now defenceless girl beneath her. "I win."

Minako scowled up at the miko as she gloated and sang a little victory song to herself. It was a very troublesome predicament for the idol to find herself in for a couple of reasons. The first reason being that as the leader of the Senshi she found it very difficult to accept ever being bested by the others. The second reason had nothing to do with being beaten and every thing to do with the fact that she could literally feel Rei's heart beating in her chest and if she reached out just a little bit she would be able brush that errant hair out of her eyes.

It appeared that Minako was the not the only one noticing these things though, and the idol had to bite her lip when Rei placed her hands on either side of Minako's head to push herself off of the now very breathless idol. Minako exhaled and closed her eyes, imaging how easy it would have been to kiss her just then.

"Hey, peace offering?" Minako shook herself out of her daze and looked up at Rei's hand offering to help her up from the floor.

"I dunno, it's going to take a lot for me to forgive you for tricking me so badly." Minako allowed herself to be pulled up from the floor and her eyes fell to her hand, still held tightly in the miko's. It seemed like an eternity that Rei stood holding the idol's hand, as if she had never done it before. She loosened her grip slightly and allowed her fingers to brush with Minako's. Never looking up Rei continued to learn what Minako's hand felt like as she began listing off possible reparations.

"We could order room service and ice cream."

Minako couldn't breathe. How was she supposed to respond? "Room service? Maybe you are the gold digging type." What was going on here?

Sighing, almost sadly, Rei dropped Minako's hand and sat down on the couch. The spell of whatever had just happened between them was broken now and it was back to business as usual.

"Well I guess if I'm going to be a gold digger, I picked a really good sugar daddy."

Minako snapped out of her revere like lightning. "Excuse me? Sugar daddy? Do I look like a guy to you?"

"Not one bit." Minako blushed as Rei looked her up and down and moved over to the phone to call room service.

"Room service is probably a good idea anyway. We haven't eaten since the battle against the Youma and we should talk about what to do with the princess." Rei nodded her agreement and Minako began dialling the number, something that normally wouldn't be difficult, but the shaking in her hand made it almost impossible.

* * *

**Scene 2**

It was a beautiful day. One of those days that deserved to be commented on because the sun was just warm enough and the breeze danced along on your skin in such a way that it made you feel completely alive. It was a perfectly wonderful day and Rei could not spare one single ounce of energy noticing it. All of her ability to notice the things around was currently being taken up by the girl walking beside her.

She had no idea what had gotten into her last night but ever since that night in her room she hadn't been able to loosen the knots in her stomach. She had been doing a good job of ignoring whatever her feelings were for the idol when she was not around the girl, but lately her mind seemed to be on idol over drive. Whatever it was that was going on inside of her she wasn't willing to name it yet. After all, she might not even have to worry about that.

Rei could see the shrine coming up in the distance and she forced herself to pay attention to where she was going, not wanting her usual distractions to lead her to embarrassing herself in front of Minako. She would never be able to live that down. They had been walking for a while in a tense silence. Rei knew that Minako desperately wanted to say something and Rei suspected she didn't because she could easily sense that whatever she said would have gone unnoticed. Taking it upon herself to open the lines of communication, but not wanting to risk saying something she wouldn't be able to take back, Rei nudged Minako lightly and gave her a small smile, indicating that the idol now had her undivided attention.

Minako took her cue with practiced ease, it was often like this between them. "So did you and the others discuss the princess and the destruction she caused in the past life?"

"You know if you actually came to our meetings you wouldn't have to ask me that."

"But if I came to all of your meetings there wouldn't be any reason for us to meet afterwards." Rei smirked at the idol as she walked up the steps of the shrine and sat down close to the top. She waited for Minako to take her place beside her before she casually reached over and laced her fingers with the idol's. Minako hid a small smile and begged the butterflies in her stomach to overdose on Ritalin. "This is starting to become a regular thing with you." Minako held up their entwined hands and looked over questioningly at the miko who refused to meet her gaze.

"Do you mind?"

"Not at all." Minako picked up a pebble and tossed it down the steps. "But I thought you did."

Rei knew what Minako was talking about. The enforced days of silent treatment after their last discussion of the feelings that Rei may or may not have. But things were different now. Minako's condition was out in the open, the possibility of the princess destroying the world again was becoming increasingly more real. There just wasn't any time left to continue avoiding the subject. And Rei just simply could not get her mind off of Minako anymore. It was the perfect cliché; she was the last thing she thought about at night and her first thought in the morning and she filled up all the spaces in between.

"I'm tired of dancing around everything with you." This time it was Minako who couldn't meet Rei's eyes. "We've spent so much time stepping around the issue. And I don't care what you remember from the past life and I don't care what influence you may think it has on us now." Reaching up slowly, Rei turned Minako's face so that it was impossible to look away. "But I know now that I just want to stand with you, whatever that means. Who knows how much time we actually have left."

"Rei you know my decision."

Carry out the mission. This life doesn't matter. Rei looked away again and relinquished her hold on Minako's hand. Everything suddenly felt a little bit colder, emptier. How easily a perfect day could fade into grey. Rei couldn't even imagine what the point of living was if this was what they were sacrificing.

"Every decision can be changed." Rei was stubborn. It was a personality trait that had stuck with her throughout her entire life and she firmly believed that she was far more stubborn than Minako. There was no doubt in her mind that she would eventually be able to force the idol into amending her foolish choice if she just stuck to her guns and kept insisting. It was a well known fact that few people could out-stubborn the stoic miko. "I guess I'm just going to have to work harder at it."

Minako was really starting to wish she could be stronger. Or that Rei was less stubborn. And she, better than anyone, knew that Rei could probably get her to change her mind; especially if things kept heading in the direction they seemed to be going. This was definitely turning into a battle she was probably going to lose. There were still some options open to her though that might allow her the strength to continue out the mission and enjoy whatever was happening here. But it was too beautiful a day to be thinking about that and so right now all she wanted to do was sit in this spot and dream about forever. This time it was Rei who smiled as she felt the idol's fingers brush up against her own.

* * *

**Scene 3**

"First kiss… Congratulations!"

"No, no, stop it!"

Minako swung Artemis around in an arc and sat back down on the couch. "But your first kiss is a milestone Artemis." Artemis recognized the dreamy look in Minako's eyes and he didn't like it one bit. "Don't you remember how excited I was after my first kiss?"

"Minako! This wasn't that kind of kiss." Artemis managed to extricate himself from his charge's grasp and perched himself on the arm of the couch. "And besides, you shouldn't be thinking about that right now."

"It almost happened again you know." She shouldn't have said anything. But it was like the act of saying it made it real, like it wasn't just her imagining it. It wasn't just a dream that they were sitting on the steps of the shrine and that if Makoto hadn't of called Rei at exactly the wrong second they would have kissed. It would have been completely different from the last time it happened and it would have been just as amazing. It would have been just as dangerous. Everything changed from that point on.

Artemis, for his part, did in fact remember how excited Minako was after her first kiss literally a lifetime ago. He could remember how she didn't stop babbling about it for hours into the night, and he was certain that she didn't sleep at all after she finally quieted down. He was sure he would never be able to forget it.

_Rei was fairly certain that she hated this place. So hated the other guardians, well most of them. She hated the princess, she hated the queen and she definitely hated how it was always so bright outside. _

"_My kingdom for a proper twilight!" There were many benefits to being Martian, as Rei saw it. Smouldering good looks, intelligence, strength and bravery. But perhaps her favorite of all her Martian qualities was her acute hearing and fine tuned senses. Not even the stealthiest person could trail a Martian for long before they were caught, a fact that one Venusian was learning right now. "What are you doing here?"_

_Minako, however, was not one to be shaken easily. "What do you mean what am I doing here? This is my side of the palace. What are you doing here?"_

"_Pfft. I thought all of the guardians had free reign over the palace grounds." Rei hated how everything in this place had to be rooted in some kind of competition. "But if you so desire I will take my leave lady Venus." Fake formalities would normally get you everywhere, except with this girl._

_Minako caught Rei's wrist before she was able to round the corner. "Are you still sore about what happened in training? I told you I wasn't going to take it easy on you just because I like you."_

_Rei sighed and leaned back against the wall. She just had to say that. Rei absolutely hated it here. " I'm not angry at you. I just need to vent for a while."_

_Minako regarded the other girl sceptically, slowly stepping into her personal space. "Are you sure?" She didn't question it any more after that though. She wouldn't have been able to form a clear thought even if she wanted to. As Rei's lips slowly separated from hers she could barely make out the words 'I'm sure' whispered into her ear before Rei was gone and she fell breathless against the wall._

Artemis knew in the moment that Minako told him that story that everything was going to get much more complicated before it resembled anything that could be construed as easy. He had tried so hard to stop it from happening again. To save the heartache and just make everything easier. But it turns out that the prince and princess' fates weren't the only ones repeating. And if Mars and Venus became that distracted with one another again, Artemis feared the worst could happen.

"Minako." Artemis laid a gently paw on her arm. "You know that I don't approve. And I know that I can't stop you. But how will you be able to handle all of this at the same time. And what if everything is the same?"

Minako regarded Artemis sadly. He was right. Her phone chimed from it's place on her desk and Minako moved towards it. "Rei wants me to meet her outside."

"Minako."

Minako bent down and dropped a light kiss on top of her guardian's head. "I have an idea about what to do. Trust me that I will make the best choice." Before Artemis could respond, the idol was out the door. The white plushy moved over to the window where he could see Rei waiting across the street.

"I hope you both make the right choice."

* * *

**Scene 4**

Stepping out of the building onto the sidewalk, Minako waved across the street to Rei and hurriedly crossed over to meet her.

"Well, I'm glad to see that I'm worth risking life and limb over." Rei started walking and Minako fell into easy step beside her.

"The street is deserted." Rei stared at the idol, disappointed that she didn't get the expected response. "Oh come on, you know I'm going to make you work for it sometimes." Linking her arm through the miko's she smiled indignantly at the pout she was being treated to. "Of course you're worth risking a painful gory death. Now, what did you want to see me for?"

Rei smiled as she pulled Minako into an alley way. "Just come with me. I have to meet the others soon."

"Uh Rei." Minako eyed the alleyway suspiciously. "You know, the whole murdering a pop idol in a alley thing is kind of over done."

Rei laughed and grabbed onto Minako's hand. "Give me a little more credit than that please. This is just a short cut." Minako had no idea where they were going. She had never taken the time to learn shortcuts, always finding it faster to just get her car to drive her where ever she needed to go.

After going through a couple more alleys and crossing a park, Minako finally began recognizing her surroundings. Rei had led them to the back entrance of the shrine in half the time it would normally have taken them to get there.

"Have you known about that shortcut the entire time you've known me and just made us walk the long way on purpose?

Rei blushed. "Maybe."

Minako punched the miko on the arm and followed her up the steps. "Why did you bring me here anyways? If you just wanted to talk I could have given you a ride to Crown so you won't be late meeting the others."

"They can wait. I have unfinished business with you."

"What?" And suddenly Minako was back in a palace courtyard in a time that seemed like an eternity ago. She was once again just a silly girl in love. Although this time she had the sense to respond when Rei's lips brushed against hers. It was a nervous kiss. And she could feel Rei shaking as she pulled away with a gentle tug on her bottom lip.

Minako sighed as she rested her forehead against Rei's. "I feel like I have been waiting forever for you to do that. But this has to be the last time it happens."

Rei pulled away from Minako in shock. She finally figured out where she stood with this insanely frustrating girl and this is the response she was getting. It was enough to make Rei want to gouge her own eyes out.

"What do you mean?"

Minako laced her fingers together with Rei's and chose her words carefully. "You know that my condition is getting worse. And I told you before that I have to focus on the mission." Oh what a time for her conscience to wake up. All it took was her finally getting the one thing she'd been waiting for all her life to have reality come screaming back to her.

Rei turned away angrily. "Forget the stupid mission. You aren't alone in this. We can do this together."

It was time for a well placed lie and a quick escape which is something that the life of an idol provides quick training for. "Let's just give this some time okay. Maybe I'm not actually saying never again, things are just so hectic right now." Don't commit to anything, keep the possibility alive, it was the most delicate form of torture she could inflict upon them. Turning away from Rei, Minako brushed away the few tears that managed to escape, pulled out her cell phone and dialled the number for her driver. "Come on, I'll give you a ride to Crown." She couldn't believe she was doing this. Holding out her hand Minako gestured for Rei to come with her, only minorly relieved when Rei reluctantly took her hand and followed her down the shrine steps. She absolutely hated that everything had to be so complicated.

* * *

**Scene 5**

"Artemis." The white cat looked over at his charge. He had a bad feeling about what she was going to say. Was she possibly going to jeopardize the mission? "I have made a decision. I'm… going to quit singing."

"Minako!"

Minako regarded the magazines on the table in front of her with sadness. "The time I have left is quickly running out." She loved singing and her heart was breaking even thinking about giving it up. But Artemis was right. She wouldn't be able to handle the mission, her career and seeing Rei all at the same time, not in her condition anyway. Something had to give. Just like she had told Rei earlier, the mission had to come first now. "I can't use it trivially."

"W-w-wait a moment! You are not Sailor Venus! I want you to have more time as Aino Minako." He blamed this on himself. Pushing her towards the mission. Keeping her at a distance from her friends. Pressuring her to stay away from Rei. This was all his fault.

"Why? I was born to fulfill my mission from my past life. I have to live for that." Minako couldn't look at Artemis. She was doing all she could just to keep from dying. Things with Rei have gotten too serious. Things with her career have gotten too distracting. Now was the time to prioritize, and as Artemis has always said, saving the world has to come first. She had no time for Aino Minako. "There is no me other than Sailor Venus."

"Minako."

Standing up, Minako moved to the window and stared down at the sidewalk. She could just make out the alley way Rei had pulled her down only a few hours ago. "I've got to tell Manager I guess… This'll cause a big uproar." And just like that it was all over.

"Please Mars forgive me."


	12. Chapter 10

Author's Note: Okay, so I'm taking some creative liberties here. I'm sure you all could guess that after the happy of the last chapter we were going to steam roll right into the angst. Oh yes. It is that time. Mmmmm delicious angst. But Anyways…. I'm taking creative liberties and changing the end of the episode a bit. So here is my idea on how this episode should have ended, and where the upcoming angst between our two girls came from. I kept all of the dialogue for continuity's sake but changed it a tad to make it flow better. Enjoy!

**Act 40**

**Scene 1**

Confusion, Rei knew it as a state of perplexity and bewilderment. A fitting definition for how she felt right now. Only first you'd have to pretence this particular state of confusion with sudden clarity and understanding, which of course you would then have to couple with the unexpected and complete abolition of anything that could be defined as clarity, all pleasantly leading into the state that Rei currently found herself in. Just a little shy of insanity but far to drawn out to be your standard, run of the mill, everyday confusion. That, Rei could easily deal with. This, however, was a whole other, special, level of confusion. Frowning down at the book she was mindlessly thumbing through, Rei imagined how wonderfully distracting it would be to toss said book right out her window. Or even better, right at that infuriating idol's head.

It was clear that books were not nearly distracting enough and Rei found herself helplessly day dreaming and the past life. She had a weakness for this kind of day dreaming lately, it was a newly developed trait that she was beginning to despise more and more with each passing day. She could remember everything so clearly. The sounds and smells of the palace, the brightness surrounding her at almost every instance. Her brightness surrounding her at almost every single instance. She could remember exactly what it felt like to be with Minako in their past life. And now it was a possibility to have that again. But for some unknown, completely mystifying reason, Minako was putting a hold on it.

"She's been waiting for years. Why can't she just let herself be happy?" Rei hated the mission. She hated absolutely everything that had to do with the Moon Kingdom. Smirking down at the book that she was doing her best impression of reading, Rei thought that this all seemed too familiar to her. Even in the past life Minako could never let herself be completely happy. For as wonderful as everything was, there was always something in the way.

"Sailor Mars!"

"Artemis?" Finally a real distraction. Rei happily shoved her book away and reached over to the door and pulled it open for the plushy cat. Well she was glad for it unless he was here to discuss more of what she remembered of the past. "What are you doing here?" Still, as Rei regained more of her memories she began developing a deeper affection for the white cat, afterall, no one else had any idea what it was like to deal with Minako and she was thankful for his presence regardless.

"Minako has done something terrible." Rei rolled her eyes and sat down beside Artemis. He had no idea.

"What has she done now?"

Of course Minako wouldn't have told Rei. The idol was smarter than that. Rei was the one person who would go to any lengths necessary to prevent her from doing something so foolish. "She's decided to quit singing. And she's decided to live no longer as Aino Minako, but only as Sailor Venus."

There is a level of shock that normal people experience. It is usually accompanied by a loss of breath and the inability to speak. In most situations it can be recovered from quickly and people can usually continue on with a small amount of the grace that they entered the situation with intact. The level of shock that Rei was experiencing right now in no way shape or form resembled that level of shock and it was several minutes before Rei was even at the inability to speak stage of regular people shock.

Artemis was impressed. He was sure he'd never seen anyone have this kind of reaction to anything ever before. Waving a paw in front of the miko's face Artemis did his best to bring her back to reality, and he was sure that if her eye kept twitching like that it would probably develop into an involuntary reaction.

"Mars?" Waving his paw in her face didn't work. It was starting to look like poking her in the ribs wouldn't work either. The way Artemis saw it, he only had one option left. One option that could have disastrous consequences for both of them. But the possibility that Rei had gone catatonic was really starting to worry him and so, raising one single claw in the air, Artemis prepared to execute his perfect plan.

"You better not be thinking about stabbing me with that." Rei stared down at the claw held inches away from her ribs. "Actually I don't even think it would hurt. Artemis." Rei tapped the 'claw' with her finger. "You know this is plastic right?"

Artemis blushed and retracted his 'claw.' "Okay so it's not all fun and games being reborn in the form of a stuffed animal." Artemis extended all of his decorative claws and admired them for what they were, he did have some pride after all. "What are we going to do about Minako?"

"We kissed." Now it was Artemis' turn to be rendered speechless. But, fortunately, his years of experience in dealing with irrational teenaged girls provided him with a much quicker recovery than Rei's had been.

"That doesn't surprise me as much as I thought it would."

"Are you angry." She couldn't look at him. She felt like she betrayed her father.

Artemis contemplated his emotions for a moment before responding. He was upset of course, the entire situation was too volatile. With the mystical silver crystal's power becoming more dangerous and Minako's condition worsening, the need to focus on their mission was becoming paramount. Yes, Artemis was certain that Rei had managed to chose the absolute worst possible time to act on her feelings and memories from the past life. But, in respect of their last conversation, could he really blame her?

"I'm not angry. But I'm going to say something to you right now that I would not normally ever expect to say to you." Rei hung her head in shame, prepared for whatever Artemis had to dish out. "Did you completely lose the ability to use your brain? You had to know that this is the worst possible time to be worrying about love and happiness and rainbows and what have you. Have you gone completely stupid?"

Rei smiled at Artemis and patted him lightly on the head. He could be so overly dramatic sometimes. "I love her Artemis, you know that. And I'm starting to learn that it's a feeling that's always going to be a part of me no matter what I think about the past. How long did you think it would take me to make up my mind?" Standing up, Rei walked over to her desk and began mindlessly touching the objects there. "You're right that it was irresponsible of me and I could have considered the options a little bit longer. Taking care to be mindful of the timing. But, honestly, there may not be much time to waste. We all know that. And if Minako thinks she needs to quit singing, time must really be running short."

Clarity.

"Wait, what did I just say…" Momentary confusion settles in as the brain calculates. And the pieces, like tetris blocks, start falling into place. "Minako's going to quit singing?" Artemis watched as realization dawned completely on the miko. "Artemis what are we going to do?"

Artemis pawed over towards Rei. "I have an idea." She followed his gaze as it settled on a white cowboy hat, poking out innocently from her closet. "But I'm not sure you're going to like it."

* * *

**Scene 2**

Minako sighed at her reflection in the mirror. For as much as she was admired and as much as everyone around her always told her she possessed the best qualities; she sure felt like an idiot right now. Her heart still soared every time she thought about what happened yesterday. It was everything she wanted. Truly everything she wanted. But now that it was a reality it was hard to justify it as proper. Some things were just more important. And besides, since she was trying to rationalize her decision as much as possible, knowing that Rei had still not recovered her memories of the past life would just make everything more difficult. It just wasn't going to work.

Pressing her fingers to her temples, Minako wished as hard as she could for these thoughts to just go away. Getting through every moment dealing with the reality of what she'd done was hard enough there was no use dwelling on it. Her eyes caught sight of the set sheet for the CM she was being forced into doing. Especially not when other things still needed to be taken care of. A knock at the door of her dressing room brought her back to reality, and thankfully out of her thoughts.

"Please come in."

Sugao waltzed into the dressing room, reserving no amount of flamboyance. "Morning!" Now this was just cruel. At least her inner turmoil was her own doing. Now she had to deal with this. Life was so cruel.

"Manager? You said you weren't coming today." If she had any luck at all he would remember this, laugh in embarrassment at his absentmindedness, and leave.

"Your photograph session's been cancelled, cancelled." Cancelled? Minako's annoyance level was increasing very quickly. How could it be cancelled after he essentially coerced her into being here. "It's sudden but the photo shoot won't be done with you, but with someone else. Come in!"

Some new girl off the street and Minako probably could have handled it. Some random girl with hopes and dreams, bursting with excitement over the opportunity to do a CM in place of Aino Minako. That was something she could have handled. She could look at it then as giving a chance to some new talent and perhaps finding a way to get out of her hectic workload. It could have been perfect. It could have been a wonderful, mutually beneficial arrangement. Instead, it was probably the worst situation she could ever imagine.

"Mars Reiko-chan! I dug up some great raw material. Raw material!" What was going on here? The only conclusion that Minako could come to was that she was being cruelly punished by some higher cosmic force. "Popular after one hit, I'm going to expose her full scale. Ah! That CM is being done by Reiko." Oh what a cruel cruel world. "See you girls at the shoot." And with that Sugao left the room with all of the flamboyance with which he entered.

Minako really had no idea what to say. She hadn't spoken to Rei since their bad timing kiss at the shrine. She had no idea what was going on inside the miko's mind. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on how she looked at it, figuring out what to say to Rei wasn't going to be something she had to deal with just yet as Rei turned on her heel and followed Sugao out the door, minus the flamboyance.

"What was all that about?"

* * *

**Scene 3  
**

"If you're that determined why not make this a match?" Rei was going to lay this on as thick as possible. If this was going to have any chance of working, Minako would have to believe it.

"Match?" This was turning into a very confusing day for Minako. Compounded by the fact that she could not read Rei at all right now. Even more so compounded by the fact that she was supposed to be trying to re-establish the line between them. It was just like irony to go and make quitting harder than not quitting.

"A competition to see who will get to record the next song." Rei made a show of examining her fingernails as she had seen Minako do on several occasions when she was trying to show just how confident in herself she was. "Winner records. Loser goes home." There was a minor concern that she was starting to like this whole idol thing a little bit too much. Acting perfect and aloof was just coming too naturally to her. And imaging steam coming out of Minako's ears to match the completely brassed off look on her face wasn't anything to complain about either.

"Why are you doing this?" Maybe this was Rei's way of getting back at her for what happened yesterday. But that honestly didn't make sense. Rei hated this persona. Though, she did seem to like the hotel room a great deal. But surely not enough for her to do this. Obviously, the only fair explanation is that sometime during the night, Minako had been transported to bizarro-world.

"I told you, it's a competition for the new song." Rei turned to walk away and of course Minako tried to reach out to stop her. But that would not have suited the plan. Thankfully, Sugao was more than prepared to provide the perfect diversion to keep Minako from getting to Rei. Smirking as she reached the door to the set, Rei looked back to see exactly the expression on the idol's face that she'd been expecting. This was going to be fun indeed.

* * *

**Scene 4  
**

Awkward. That was the only word that Rei could think of to describe this situation right now. Not having any real idea of where you stand with someone, well, it was very awkward. Of course they were still friends. Of course they still cared about each other. And of course Minako still drove her crazy in all of the most endearing ways she could imagine. But trying to figure out what all that meant together. That just wasn't working for Rei.

It was obvious that they had fallen back into their usual pattern. Rei wasn't stupid. Of that she was sure. She knew that when Minako said they needed to take time, she probably meant it. She just didn't think that she liked being the one waiting very much. Everything was better when she was completely oblivious and she could just be either happy, angry or irritated depending on what the situation called for. Being trapped in a constant state of awkward confusion was very unpleasant. And on that thought a nice segue into a conversation that may alleviate some awkwardness would be nice right about now.

"So." Rei kicked a loose stone down the board walk. Doing her best to ooze cool confidence. "Do you think the new song will be a hit?"

Minako grinned, she liked it when she knew exactly what Rei was doing. "Of course it will be. I'm the one singing it after all." And of course if Rei was going to try to ooze cool confidence, she would just have to out do her. Flipping her hair over her shoulder as only professional idols can do, Minako prepared her barb. "Although I wouldn't be able to say the same thing had things gone differently today."

"Okay, unfair." Rei stopped dead in her tracks. "You yourself have said that I am a good singer. You can't just take it back now because you're gloating and happy."

"And why can't I?" This was so much better than being awkward and not knowing what to say. This, Minako could deal with. So long as the line was drawn. "I did win after all. I should have some right to gloat."

"Well fine. But you don't need to be all 'sore winner' about it."

"Okay, well you don't get to be a sore loser then."

Rei rolled her eyes and shot her hands into the air in exasperation. "But that's like a loser's right. And besides." Rei suddenly found the loose thread on her shirt sleeve very interesting. "After I went through all that just to get you to keep singing you'd think I could have a little pouting leeway."

Rei's pout went unnoticed by Minako however as everything became perfectly clear to the idol. The whole thing was a ploy. A trick. A hoax. A ruse. An evil evil evil scam. And that was just the most annoying realization she could ever have come to. Did they have absolutely no respect for the decisions she made in her life?

"So you did all of that just to make me sing." She was too mad to be stereotypically angry. She was far to mad to do the whole avoiding looking in Rei's eyes thing. This was betrayal. This was disrespect. This was the one person that she had ever truly trusted in all the time that she could remember and she was showing complete disregard for her wishes.

Rei could tell that this was quickly starting to go in a direction that was not at all like the direction she wanted it to go in. Minako only looked like that when she was about ready to start ripping heads from bodies. Which was an issue because Rei liked her head where it was. Firmly attached to her torso. But what was going to be the best way to go about damage control. Honesty. Honesty is the best policy. "It just annoyed me that you were only focusing on the past life and you were so willing to give up everything good that was happening in this life."

"We have a mission!" Okay, so maybe honesty was not such a great policy. Maybe righteous indignation would work.

"You know." Rei took a step away from Minako, finding it easier to pretend to be on her high horse when she didn't have to look at her. "Lately I've been developing an even stronger dislike for the words 'past life.' It doesn't define us."

It was becoming apparent to Minako that she had had the right idea in the first place. If she couldn't give up her career then clearly giving up on Rei was the right idea. This was going to be one of the hardest things she'd ever have to do, but she had to start pushing her away before the mission was sacrificed for nothing. "Mars! We have a mission from our past life. You need to understand that."

Every time she hears about that idiotic mission from the past life, Rei could swear she got a little bit closer to becoming certifiable. "No! You need to understand. The problem that you have to deal with is the 'now' not something from a past life that no one but you remembers." Sometimes lying is necessary to garner full effect. And as Rei saw it, if she was going to forsake honesty and go for the righteous indignation she might as well go for the gusto.

Minako was doing her best to not just walk away. First she was betrayed and now she was being reprimanded for doing what she thought would be best for everyone, not just herself. It was ridiculous. And she was really getting tired of the flood of irony that was in the process of drowning her today.

"You just don't get it."

"No you really don't get it." In what would be considered a bold move by anyone, considering the volatility of the situation, Rei reached out and grabbed Minako's hand. "I kissed you. And now all you want to do is pretend it never happened and give up everything about Aino Minako." This was her last ditch effort. If this didn't make Minako understand then she had no idea what else to do but admit defeat. "If it were me and the probability isn't zero." Rei made sure to look right into the idol's eyes as she said this. Minako needed to know that this was how she truly felt, righteous indignation aside. "I'd undergo the surgery. I'd do it for you."

Minako was sure that if someone had been listening very carefully, they would have been able to hear her heart break. Why did she have to make this even harder than it already was. "You do not understand the gravity of our mission."

"Minako."

"No Rei." Minako pulled her and out of Rei's and wrapped her arms around herself. She needed to get away. She needed to end this conversation right now so she didn't fall apart standing here. "You're not enough for me to risk endangering the mission."

Before Rei could even finish processing what she had just heard, Minako was gone. That definitely had not gone very well at all. Rei walked over to the edge of the board walk and sat down with her arms resting on the metal rail. The cool feel of the metal against her skin was a welcome relief. It would not be easy to get over this one. Right now, she wasn't really sure she'd be able to.

* * *

**Scene 5**

Minako was not sure how long she had been walking. She was only vaguely aware that it had started to get darker out and she had no idea where she was going. She just wanted to be away. Somewhere that was anywhere but where she was at that moment. A different time. A different place. And a different set of circumstances and she could easily be happy. But fate apparently had other ideas.

"Minako." The idol stopped short at the sound of a familiar voice and she glanced behind herself, knowing exactly where he'd be.

"It took you long enough to find me." She kept her back turned to the white plush. Although she was sure he could tell she had been crying she just didn't want him to see her like this right now.

Artemis was concerned. But concerned wasn't even a good enough word for it. He felt partially responsible for whatever pain his charge was in right now. "Minako, what did you do?"

"I ended it." Minako watched as the sun sank lower to end the day. "I told Rei that she wasn't worth sacrificing the mission over." Now she turned down to look at Artemis. Now he could see all the hurt she felt. This was something he needed to see. "Just like we always wanted right?"

Never mind partially responsible. Now Artemis was pretty sure he felt entirely responsible. And he had absolutely no idea how to fix this. If it was even going to be possible to fix it. And so instead of trying to say anything in fear of making it all worse, he just followed Minako at a close distance as she continued to walk aimlessly down the boardwalk. The perfect picture of a broken heart.


End file.
